One Morph part 3: All Grown Up
by Heart of the dagger
Summary: In the final part of the "One Morph" trilogy, Alaine learns to overcome demons from her past, and in her personal life, to become the Power Ranger she needs to be...or Earth is doomed. Is she up to the challenge? Find out right now in "Power Ranger: All Grown Up!"
1. Chapter 1

Power Rangers:

All grown up

The funeral for Kimberly Hart hadn't been easy.

After falling out a window during a confrontation with the White Ranger, she had hit the pavement and broke her neck...along with a number of other bones. In short, she died instantly.

During the latest adventure, in which Alaine had been pushed way past her limits, in terms of physically and emotionally, there had been no time to mourn. Now with time to breathe, all the tears she had been saving, now found themselves trailing down the black dress she was wearing.

All family, friends, and even a few past rangers had turned out for the service.

The preacher was eloquent.

The stories from those who knew her best were both poignant and funny.

Mayor Jerome Stone had donated a portion of Angel Grove Park to a memorial, and commissioned a stone sculpture of her likeness, which served to mark the grave.

A metal fence had been erected to officially cordon off the area. Only those on a pre-approved list were allowed in. For all others, the fence became covered in small trinkets, letters, and other signs of support from the larger community.

Alaine had sobbed uncontrollably from the time she got up and throughout the service. She wouldn't be consoled, despite everyone's best efforts. She ended up soaking the front of her dress, even though the sun was high and blazing hot.

Tommy, Katherine, and Drake were in the same shape as well. Tommy had to deal with watching his wife miraculously recover from a deadly illness only to be taken days later; Katherine lost someone who was like a sister to her; and Drake lost a mother he never knew he had.

After it was over, and people slowly started to disperse, Alaine stayed behind at the grave. She wept hard, not noticing the dirt and grass stains spreading over her dress.

After about an hour, Tommy helped her back to the car.

The ride home had been silent and tense. Alaine just stared out the window, looking at the raindrops that had just started to fall. Poor Tommy stared unblinking straight ahead, as if the drive was requiring more mental strain than necessary. Anything to keep from falling apart.

Arriving home, Alaine stripped off the now dirty dress and flung it into her laundry basket. She plucked the black and white family photo off her dresser and set it on the nightstand next to her bed. She stripped off the rest of her clothes and crawled under the sheets.

Grabbing the picture again, she stared into her mother's eyes. She gently ran her fingers over the happy face, and huge pearly smile. After finishing off Lord Zedd once and for all. Before the disease took her. Before -he- took her life.

That fateful dive through the window had been in vain, sure. She did what she had to do...A heroic sacrifice...but in Alaine's eyes, it was murder. A violent act that could never be repaid. Even as she dug the knife across his neck...

She clutched the picture to her chest and cried herself to sleep.

She awoke wearing a simple white toga. In the middle of an open field, surrounded by pines.

"What is this place?"

"It's not your ordinary dream sequence, that's for sure."

"Who are you?"

She turns around and around, and sees no one. The voice comes from the sky, the trees, the grass...even on the wind...it's all around!

"Listen...what you have just gone through has been traumatic, but it is nothing compared to what you're about to go through."

"What? What's coming?"

"Everything you have learned, everything you have experienced, you will need for the coming trial."

"What's going on? TELL ME!"

"Assemble the team. Lead them."

"Team? What team? What are you talking about?"

She woke up, thrashing around in her own bed. The picture fell to the floor and harmlessly bounced off the thick carpet, then came to a rest. She laid back, stared at the ceiling, breathing hard. Her phone buzzed, an incoming call. She blindly reached for it, and mashed the answer button.

"Yeah?"

" 'Bout time you answered your phone! I was worried!"

Alaine thought for a few seconds, trying to peer through the mental fog.

"_It sounds like-"_

"Andy?"

"Yeah. Are you ok"

"Can you come over!"

Alaine threw on a pair of jeans, white T and a pair of sneakers. She comes downstairs and sees a note from Tommy:

"_I went out. I'll be back later. Dinner in the fridge."_

"Thanks dad. Just lovely. Leave your grieving kid home all by herself..."

A few minutes later, the door pounds, and almost falls off its hinges!

"Coming!"

Alaine swings the door open and sees the eyes of her girlfriend. Sparkling violet, like the deepest amethyst. They stand there just smiling at each other. The tension is broken when Andy comes in.

"I've been calling and texting for a while now."

"I know. I've been napping. Hard."

"After today, I'm not surprised."

Alaine plops on the couch, clearly drained. Andy sits next to her, and gently lays a hand on Alaine's knee.

"If you don't mind me asking...where have you been the past few days?"

"It's a long story, I'm afraid."

"I've got time."

Alaine stares straight ahead. Across the room is an old upright piano; a relic from Kimberly's instrumental phase. Recently, the only attention it had received was when it came time to dust the furniture. The couple times Alaine tried to play it, the keys were out of tune, and sounded awful.

For a long time, Kim had talked about getting it retuned so everyone could enjoy it. But with the onset of her disease, safe to say that never happened.

"Alaine?"

"Andy..I can't tell you."

"What do you mean?"

Alaine sits up, pulls a blanket off the back of the couch, and tightly wraps it around her. Inexplicably, a deep chill spread out from her chest to her limbs, causing her to shiver. Which scared her. It felt supernatural; like a warning.

"Andy! I can't tell you! Now stop! You're making me uncomfortable!"

"Alaine! You can't be serious!"

Her one big secret. The girlfriend that she loved dearly.

How many times did her parents say "Keep your identity a secret or risk losing your power." That little memory made her miss her mother all the more, and she almost cried again. She leaned forward and rubbed her hands together nervously.

"Andy I know we said we wouldn't keep secrets from each other...but this...this is too dangerous...I can't."

"What the fuck. Dangerous?"

"Yes. If I tell you...everything...your life will be at risk. I love you too much to let that happen."

Andy just stares at her, unsure whether to believe her or not.

"If you're in any sort of trouble, Alaine..."

"I am. In ways you can't even imagine...all the time. Even those around me. Including you. That's why I have to protect you; to keep you safe."

"Then tell me. God forbid something happens to you-"

Alaine thinks for a second. Kimberly was dead, Tommy was gone, and Catherine was no leader. She quickly realized she was the ranking member of the Power Rangers. Such as it was.

"Andy...no."

Andy get up, anger and frustration barely visible.

"If that's the way you want it...fine. You don't have to worry about telling me anything else ever again. I guess I was nothing more than a pussy to you."

She storms out, violently throwing open the front door. It slams hard against the wall, leaving a permanent dent.

"Andy! Wait!"

Alaine tries to give chase. Too late though. As she gets outside, Andy is already down the block, speeding away. Hot tears in her eyes, Alaine retreats back inside and gently closes the door. She sizes up the hole in the wall, where the doorknob connected with the drywall; about the size of a baseball.

Looking for anything that would take her mind off recent events, she snags a roll of duct tape out of the junk drawer. Feeling numb, and willing herself not to cry again. She tears strips of tape off, patching the hole. Each strip, each sound of shredding, driver her closer and closer to the edge.

Finally, she lets out a bloody scream and launches the tape at the piano! A foul note sounds, and the tape flops to the carpet. Alaine falls on her knees sobbing violently; the tears pouring down her face as sobs wracked her body.

"WHY? WHY ME? **WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?**"


	2. Chapter 2

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Chapter 2

Tommy left a short note on the counter for Alaine when she finally decided to get up. He left her alone, figuring it would be better for her to deal with her grief on her own. He didn't quite understand her, and every time he tried, she blocked him out; which included a small war over FaceSpace 2.0.

He felt completely numb during the funeral and mostly kept to himself. Trying to keep the interaction with the guests as minimal as possible, he wished he could disappear and be by himself for a while. The whole experience made him reflect on his relationship with Kimberly.

Meeting her his first day of Angel Grove High.

Having to fight her as the evil green ranger.

Having Alaine

When she abandoned both of them

Randomly showing up again during the attack on a local air force base

Trying to make it work again

Marriage

Getting the bad news from the doctor

Everything flashed before his eyes all at once, with no time to process it.

Having to give the eulogy hadn't been something he had looked forward to either. He only did it because he was expected to. As a matter of fact, the speech had been hastily written down the night before. When actually giving it, he ad-libbed, padding ti with what most of those in attendance already knew.

Driving a few blocks, he pulled up in front of a certain house, and got out. Feeling like lead, there was only place where he knew he would find comfort. He rang the doorbell, and not even seconds later, there she was. As radiant and beautiful as ever. With a smile, she hugged him. Pulling him in, she closed the door, their lips coming together.

Down at the Gym and Juice Bar, Drake ran hard on a treadmill. His normally bright green tank top, almost black with sweat. With the machine at a 30 degree incline, he pushed himself harder and faster than he ever did before; in an effort to push from his mind the funeral. it had been an awful experience for him. Having to mourn for a woman he never knew while having to deal the fact he was a bastard child of an adulterous affair. It was really awkward meeting family he never knew he had, having to explain who he was.

The looks.

The whispers.

Eventually, he ducked out and headed straight for the gym. Exercise had always been a release; a way of dealing with the real world. At the end of an almost 10 mile course, he spotted Alaine walking in, heading for a weight machine. In an outfit mostly of pink and black. She made a half hearted attempt to move the arm bars before giving up and sitting back, defeated.

Hopping off the treadmill, and chugging water, he walked over to her.

"Hey there."

"Oh hi. I didn't see you there."

"No problem. Are you OK?"

"Yeah...I guess...not really."

"Which is it?" He said, slightly laughing at her indecision.

"It's Andy...I don't know."

"Who's he?"

"She. My girlfriend. I think."  
"Ah. So my sister's a lesbian."

"Whatever. She came over, asked where I was, and stormed off when I didn't tell her."

"Why didn't you?"

"We can't remember? If I told her, then I would have had to tell her..._everything_."

"I understand. Really though, if you love this person, then you would have to sooner or later. And since things are relatively calm right now-"

"That's something else we gotta talk about."

"What?"

"Listen, I had this dream, and-"

She spots Andy walking in with a girl on her arm.

"Well well well, if it isn't the little bitch? And who this? You're new boyfriend? Are you straight now? When were you going to tell me?"

"Andy for crying out loud...that's my brother: Drake. Come on, don't be like that. And whose that?"

"This is Jen. My new girlfriend. Ta!"

The go sit down, and order a couple of fruit smoothies.

"You were in love with that?"

"She was a lot nicer back then."

"I see. Hey, let's get out of here. You hungry? I'll buy you lunch."

"Sounds good. I'm starving!"

Having just made love, Tommy and Katherine snuggle under the blankets. Just relaxing, they stare into each others eyes and say nothing.

Suddenly, a familiar tone plays from across the room; like a ringtone coming out of a watch.

"What the- Is that?"

"Sure is. Hang on."

Katherine gets up and throws on a robe. She walks over to a mantle. Enshrined in a clear, plastic box is a shiny, silver communicator. it was still beeping like mad, as lights flashed back and forth across it's surface.

"Tommy?"

He joins her, and stares in amazement.

"Wow. I didn't think it still worked!" He exclaims

"Neither did I. Wonder who..." She pushes a small button on the side, and speaks into it.

"Hello?"

"_Katherine! You, Tommy, Alaine, and Drake need to teleport to the Command Center right away! It's an emergency!_"


	3. Chapter 3

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Chapter 3

"Teleport to the command center?"

"I thought it disappeared years ago!"

"It did! Hey, maybe it's back!"

Tommy looks outside. In the distance, the familiar monolith towers above the foothills. Already news helicopters swarm in the air like so many dragonflies, as numerous news vehicles race down city streets. He digs out his phone out of his pants and dials a familiar number.

"Hey dad, what's up?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm with Drake at the gym. Why?"

"Meet me outside in about 10 minutes."

"Wait, wh-"

He hangs up, and quickly puts his clothes back on. Katherine has already done the same. They race downstairs and into his Escalade. At the gym, Alaine and Drake stand outside, marvelling at the rebuilt command center.

"When did that happen?"

"No idea. Must have been within the last few minutes since it wasn't there this morning."

They hear a car madly honking at them. Turning...

"It's dad! Come on!"

They pile in, and rush off as fast as the car can take them. Racing through red lights, and weaving through cars, Tommy lays on the horn, making a path through the madness. Vehicles veer to the side, pedestrians dive away, some cursing madly.

"Geez dad, take it easy! What's the big hurry!"

"When Zodon says you gotta go, you gotta go!"

"Why doesn't he just teleport us?"

"Because I'm the only one with a communicator!"

"Oh."

Arriving at last, Tommy takes a secret path up to the command center. the dramatic scenery had everyone holding their breath. Emerging from the woods, at the base of the huge building, they marveled at how it almost complemented the view of the city.

The helicopters still buzzed overhead, so Tommy left the car under the canopy of leaves and branches. Piling out, they headed for a secret backdoor that would keep them out of everyone's prying eyes.

They enter, expecting to see a familiar layout.

Instead, their greeted with a massive upgrade!

New consoles rising out of the floor, spread out all over.

A massive holographic viewing screen in place of the regular globe.

Blinking lights; beeping panels; everything shiny and brand new!

A technological wonderland!

In one corner, a large, square tank fills up with water and bubbles. Seconds later, a familiar face appears!

"Welcome back, rangers!"

"Zordon! You're back!"

"Oh my god, we've missed you!"

"It is good to see you too. I have certainly missed you too."

"How's Eltar?"

"The planet is healing slowly. It suffered a lot of damage in the last war. Alpha 5 is now overseeing the final few stages of the rebuilding there. He will be joining us shortly. Right now, there is an emergency we must prepare for."

"What about that? Your message was kind of...vague."

"I'll tell you, Tommy. An evil that I thought had passed has resurfaced on a distant planet 4000 lightyears from Earth."

"What is it?"

"Master Vile has returned."

The group looks at each other in total shock.

"Wait a sec...I thought he was killed in that energy wave?"

"He wasn't, Alaine. He had fled the galaxy as it was happening. Thus, he wasn't transformed. Now he's back, bent on revenge for the destruction of his empire."

"What's he doing, exactly?"

"His power is growing. Should he reach maximum strength, he'll be able to amass an army that would easily dwarf Zedd's. You must go to this planet and stop him."

"But...we're only 4 people. What can we do?"

"Actually, Tommy and Katherine, this fight isn't yours. It is now time for a new generation to rise up and take your place. Alaine and Drake? Are you ready to lead your team?"

"Forget it Zordon! I'm not a leader!"

"But you are. You have proven yourself worthy. There is no one else here that can do it."

"Alright. I'll do it if I have to!"

"Good. The other rangers will join you shortly. For now, get ready to leave at a moment's notice."

"Where are the other rangers?"

"They are scattered around the galaxy. I am sending the both of you to collect them for this mission. Only when the team is full strength will you be able to defeat Vile."

"Sounds good. Where is the shuttle?"

There's one docked and ready to go for you at NASADA. Your first ranger is there. She will greet you, and be your pilot."

"Great. When do we set out?"

"You are free to leave whenever you're ready, Drake. However, I would advise that the sooner, the better."

"What about our jobs? and school? Eventually people are going to notice we're missing."

"Your parents will take care of that. A plan has already been put in place to cover such emergencies. If there is nothing else, I would recommend you make haste."

"Alright. I just have to take care of one thing. Drake, I'll meet you there OK?"

"OK."

"Rangers, before you go, take these: "

On one of the panels, a small drawer slides out, revealing sleek new communicators.

They each take one.

"Good luck. And may the power protect you. Forever and always."

Alaine teleports into a dense copse of trees in the middle of Angel Grove Park. She calmly walks out, brushing pine needles from her clothes. If her guess was right, she would be around here somewhere. A minute later, she spots Andy sitting on a picnic table, making out with her new girlfriend.

Fighting the urge to vomit, Alaine walks over to her. After not being noticed for some time, she clears her throat to get their attention. It works, and Andy turns. Immediately seeing who it is, a clear look of revulsion cross her face.

" 'Sup, bitch?"

"Um...I need to talk to you."

"Fuck off. There's nothing we need to discuss. As you can see, I'm quite busy."

"Please? It's important."

Andy stares, clearly pissed.

"Gimme me a second, babe. I'll be right back."

She smooches her girlfriend and gets up.

Alaine leads her to a tree a few feet away; just far enough to not be heard.

"What's this about?"

"Remember that secret I have?"

"Yeah."

"Here-" She reaches behind her, and pulls it out her morpher.

"Where'd you get that? eBuy?"

"No, Andy. This is the real thing. I'm...um..."

"Yes?"

"I'm a Power Ranger."

Shock. That is all Andy feels right now. She felt absolutely galvanized by this piece of news.

"What? No. You're kidding, right?"

"Have I ever lied to you? My parents were rangers too; the best there's ever been."

"Oh my..."

"By telling you, you are in danger. You must -not- let on that you know, ok?"

"Ok."

"Promise me you won't tell! Swear it!"

"Yes, yes, I promise! What happens now?"

"Right now, I'm going off on a dangerous mission."

"Will you make it back?"

"I don't know. Please promise me something: promise me you won't settle out."

"Alaine...I...I am so sorry." Tears begin to well up in her eyes.

"It's OK. What's happened has happened. We're better off this way. This way if I don't make it back-"

"Which you will!"

"You won't have have recover as much."

"BULLSHIT! You're coming back!"

"I can't make a girl a promise...if I know I can't keep it."

By now Andy is sobbing full force.

"True that, Alaine. OK. I promise I won't settle for just anyone." She chuckles slightly. "You know the past 3 years have been the happiest of my entire life?"

"I can say the same. I really felt blessed to have you."

"I wish it didn't end up like this."

"I know, babe. It is what it is though. Right now, though I gotta go. Time is short."

"OK."

They hug fiercely, tears streaming on both sides.

"I love you, Alaine."

"I know."

Alaine retreats back to the trees. Seconds later, Andy watches a streak of pink light arch through the sky, into the distance.

"Kick some ass, girl. For me."


	4. Chapter 4

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Chapter 4

By the time Alaine landed at NASADA on the fringes of Angel Grove, Drake was already waiting for her. The evening sun was beginning to set, covering the sky in pastels of orange, yellow, and red. She marveled at the display, wondering when the last time was that she enjoyed and appreciated a sunset. It had been years, at the least. Drake had been sitting on the curb right outside the front entrance. He rose when he saw her approach.

"Hey. You all set?"

"You know it."

They stroll in, past the security guard, and up to the main desk.

"Hello. Can I help you?"

"Um...we have an appointment."

"Oh? You do? Can I have your names?"

"I'm Drake Hillard, and this is Alaine Hart."

"Oh yes! We've been expecting you! If you have a seat, it'll be just a minute."

The secretary taps madly on a keyboard, and dials a phone. She chatters excitedly, as our 2 heroes sit on a leather, overstuffed bench. Drake takes in the environment.

Last time he was here was over a decade ago. Part of a field trip to the observatory portion of the facility. He had a deep fascination with outer space and the cosmos. Learning about all the different planets, solar systems, and galaxies. He had dreamed of being one of the first people to get to see the Andromeda galaxy up close and personal. Unfortunately, the program was only sending unmanned craft; drones. Like the one on Mars.

That same fascination and wonder was brought to the surface, and bubbled over. He looked over a few framed photographs of various space bodies; like nebulas, distant stars, constellations, before hearing the voice of a young woman greeting Alaine. He strolls back over.

"Hi. Nice to meet you. I'm Sophie. I'm the Senior Deep Space Rocket Technician here at NASADA. Safe to say that we are very excited that you're here."

All 3 of them start walking down a hallway, deeper into the facility. Soon, the sounds of machinery at work mixes with the voices of several people talking at once. Vibrations are felt through the floor.

Drake was still wrapping his head around that job title.

"Wait…deep senior…what?"

"Quite basically, a rocket scientist. I oversaw the design and construction of the vessel that will carry us through space."

" 'Us'?"

"Sure."

Sophie swipes a cad through a card reader, submits to a retinal scan, and punches in a 6 digit number on a chrome keypad. A pair of heavy steel door slowly slide open with a whoosh revealing a cavernous construction bay. Towering over them, a navy blue disc-shaped vessel, with an obvious protruding cockpit, sits, with all sorts of cranes raising parts into place as men and women criss-cross the surface welding the parts into place and making sure everything fits together correctly.

"Rangers… I present to you the Mark 4 Astro Megaship. Modeled on the one used by Andros and the other space rangers, it was a sturdy megazord right up until the end…and even past it."

"So it can transform?"

"Sorry, Drake. Given Zordon's late notice, we weren't able to include the megazord transformation systems in time. If we did, production would have moved back almost 2 years. Safe to say, we couldn't do that. However, there are numerous cannons, missile launchers, and turrets installed all through out, so we'll have enough firepower to hopefully deal with whatever comes our way."

"You keep saying we. Are you coming too?"

"Yes, ma'am. As the person responsible for the construction, I am also responsible for upkeep, maintenance, repairs, and so on. Also…I'm Space Patrol Delta, Silver"

"You're what now?"

"The silver SPD Power Ranger."

"A power ranger? You look like you're barely 15!"

"I do have my reasons for that; maybe I'll tell you someday. For now, Drake, let me show you the cockpit and give you some piloting lessons."

That night, our 4 heroes sleep in the same house. Except for Alaine. She tosses and turns; having a series of incoherent, yet frightening dreams. One of which involved Kimberly turning into a monstrous demon, devouring a group of little children. Another having Lord Zedd decapitating Tommy. She startled awake in a cold sweat. Not knowing what else to do, she slipped on a pair of jeans, an old T-shirt, and a ballcap.

She strapped on her communicator, grabbed her morphed, and teleported to the command center. She found it completely dark, except for a few lights, and a couple of consoles.

"Hello?" She whispers into the dark "Zordon? Are you here?"

The liquid in the large tank lights up and bubbles. Later, his face appears.

"Welcome, Alaine. Is everything OK?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"It is alright. I was merely recharging. Something I had to do since I returned. How are you?"

"I can't sleep, Zordon. I keep having nightmares."

"What kind of nightmares?"

"Mostly about my parents…gross things…I can't even…"

"Master Vile has the power to warp dreams. It wouldn't surprise me if he was doing that to you."

"How? I mean, he's so far away."

"His power is not limited by physical distance. Any planet touched by his presence or that of his minions, is permanently tainted by his dark magic. How worse it is for those who encounter him, or whoever works for him."

"But I've never…wait, White Ranger!"

Zordon nods solemnly.

"Yes. And Lord Zedd. Pawns in his game to eliminate you so you wouldn't be a threat to him. By defeating you early, there would have been no one left to oppose him."

"Why me though? I'm no leader! I can't do this."

"Even though you can't see it, you do possess an inner strength. A strength that has allowed you to overcome the worst obstacles that Vile has been able to put in your way. You have defeated Lord Zedd, and the evil clones of your father. These battles have pushed you past your limits and you have overcome. When the time comes, you will find that strength. And you will overcome once again."


	5. Chapter 5

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Chapter 5

After that little bit of inspirational conversation, Alaine teleported back home and managed to sneak in a few hours sleep. At 6 a.m. her phone vibrated. She groggily rolled over, and mashed the answer button.

"Yeah?"

"Alaine? This is Sophie. Your ship is prepped and ready for launch. We are ready to go whenever you are."

That got her attention. When she was there yesterday, the ship had appeared to be nowhere near done. Now it was ready for launch?

"Sophie, it's 6 a.m.! How can the ship be ready?"

"I deduced that you would want to depart as soon as possible, so I called in a few extra crews to finish the job. And don't worry, ma'am, no shortcuts were taken. I made sure of that myself."

"Alright. Let me get everyone else up, then we'll be on our way."

"Great. One other thing, don't worry about breakfast; as a gift, we prepared something delicious, so bring your appetite!"

"Will do."

The line clicks dead.

In seconds Alaine is racing around the house waking everybody up. She didn't bother

changing since she went to bed with her clothes on. Her family raced to get ready; showers, shave, teeth brushed, hair brushed and combed. Finally piling into the Escalade.

Alaine digs out her phone and calls Sophie back.

"Hello?"

"We're on our way. ETA about 20 minutes."

"That's perfect! See you soon!"

They pull into the main parking lot, and find it strangely empty. They get out, looking around, very confused.

"What the..."

"This isn't right."

The front doors slide open, and Sophie approaches them. She's already decked out in a unisex leotard, intended for space travel.

"Good. You're here. And on time, that's great!"

"Where is everyone?"

"We decided to keep this as low key as possible. So I sent all non-essential staff home. To be even more cautious, we put the facility on lock down so the media would stay away. We don't need any distractions. Now if you'll follow me, we'll get you suited up, and boarded for launch."

They trek through the facility to an elevator.

"We have to take this facility down to the launch floor. There, you'll have your haircut, a brief physical, get your medical files started, then you will have your breakfast, then we'll be underway."

Sophie turns to Tommy and Katherine, who are visibly nervous.

"Unfortunately, due to regulations only staff are allowed past this point. Please say good-bye. And make it quick, we have a tight schedule to keep."

She steps away to give them some privacy. Alaine hugs her dad tightly.

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, baby doll. I just want to tell you that I'm very proud of you. I've always been proud of you. I know if your mom was here, she would say the same thing."

"Thanks, dad. I love you."

"I love you."

Drake hugs Katherine good bye.

"Be careful out there, ok?"

"I will. I promise."

"Go now...and don't look back. Don't look back."

Kat and Tommy embrace, on the verge of tears, as Alaine and Drake are led into the elevator. Their view is cut off as the doors slide closed.

"Are you two OK?"

"I'm fine." says Alaine, mindlessly staring at the floor, with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Can't complain...I guess." Drake examines the ceiling looking for an escape hatch. he breathes a sigh of relief when he spots it.

"Good. The more emotionally stable you are, the easier this morning will be."

"Has the ship been test launched yet?"

"No. However, we have run through every possible scenario; we can guarantee a 98% successful launch."

"And the other 2%?"

"Nothing you need to worry about right now."

The doors slide open once again, and our heroes find themselves in a expansive medical wing.

"Here, we'll get a record of your vitals, start your medical file, do a few simple tests, then get your hair cut. OK?"

Alaine nervously wrings her gorgeous blonde hair in her hands.

"Um...is that last part really necessary?"

"Given that the underground portion of launch facility is a clean space, yes. We don't take any chances. Besides, you don't want microscopic organisms multiplying and crawling all over the ship...do you?"

"No, not really."

"Good. See you in an hour."

A couple of doctors in their typical white lab coats, with their clipboards, lead the 2 rangers away. After a battery of blood tests, physicals, exercise tests, paperwork, and what ended up being more of a hair massacre then a cut, they stand prepped and ready to go in their new pearly white leotards. Drake stands in a mirror, running his fingers over his last name, then first name, stitched onto his chest.

Alaine stands in another mirror, running her fingers through her now shaved head. Her beautiful head of hair has now been reduced to a very fine layer, barely enough to cover her scalp. She shakes her head, almost mourning what she lost.

Later, a door whooshes open and Sophie strides in.

"Those fit you nicely. Now, as I promised you, breakfast is now served. Please follow me."

She turns on her heel, and leads them to the next room. They come into a large cavernous cafeteria. With like everything else, only a few things are chrome; everything else is stark white. Drake and Alaine help themselves to the buffet and sit at a table with plates heaping with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, and glasses of orange juice.

Alaine dives right in, inhaling as much of the food as possible, as fast as possible. Drake takes his time, almost savoring every bite.

"You should really take your time. You're gonna get sick."

"You try not eating for almost 2 days. Then come talk to me."

"Sorry. I didn't know."

"S'alright. You doing good?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Fine."

She continues to chow down, as if it's the last meal on earth. Which it it, ironically enough.

"Better enjoy that now Alaine. From now on it's astronaut food and freeze dried ice cream!"

"Ha ha ha! I know right? That stuff is nasty!"

"Is it?"

"Pfft. Maybe! All I know is, I'm not looking forward to it."

"How are enjoying your breakfast?"

"Hey Sophie. Didn't see you there. Yeah, it's really good! What's your secret?"

"Everything is home grown right here."

"Oh wow. Really?"

"Yes. In another part of this facility, we have climate controlled gardens and farms. Everything is fresh, all day, every day."

"Amazing. I would give anything to live here."

"Actually, Drake, the 1700 hundred of us do live here. Our barracks and living facilities are only one floor down."

"Can we see them?"

"Unfortunately, no. In all reality, we should have been at the ship by now."

"Oh shit! Let's move!"

They jump up, leaving their trays and plates at the table. They take off at a brisk pace for the launch pad. Another elevator. Sophie pulls out a walkie talkie, and presses the talk button.

"We're on our way."

"_Roger._"

Down a floor, over a moving walkway. They move in front of a plate glass window showing a dramatic mountain range. The snow capped landforms glisten a slight purple in the bright sunlight.

"Um...Sophie?"

"Yes. Vistas like this make coping with the idea of living and working underground easier to bear. Watch."

She takes out the walkie talkie again. pressing a button, the picture changes to a forest. Birds chirp and the wind rustles in the leaves.

"Wow. Technology."

"We developed it ourselves. As a matter of fact, Umbrella Corporation has been adapting it for their underground facilities all over the world."

"So cool."

"It is. We're almost there. Get ready."

They come to the end of the walkway. A pair of heavily armed guards slide cards through card readers, and punch in codes in perfect synchrosity; as if it was rehearsed several times.

The massive doors slowly swing open on their heavy hinges. On the other side, a crowd of scientists, technicians, and other personnel applaud the heroes, with huge smiles and enthusiasm.

Handshakes, welcomes, and small messages of encouragement wash over the rangers as the move towards the ship. Sophie motions towards a small round disc on the floor. They stand on it, as everyone else goes back to their posts and resumes their normal duties.

Sophie pushes another button on the walkie talkie, and the disc raises into the darkness of the ship.


	6. Chapter 6

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Chapter 6

Coming to a stop, the rangers' try to adjust to the low light. All of a sudden, light turn on, and power surges throughout the ship! They find themselves standing at the back of the massive cockpit; which was easily twice the size of a standard living room. All over, consoles, work stations, and a big, interactive, holoscreen at the front. Just past that, a large, sectioned window that would provide a panoramic view of everything in front of the ship.

"Wow..." Alaine breathes. Taking in a sight that easily dwarfed the command center just in terms of technological advancement.

"Amazing, isn't it? We spared no expense."

"Impressive."

"Feel free to take whichever station you want, then I'll brief you on it."

"OK."

Alaine looks around at all the available work areas. Weapons, communications, life support, emergency, maintenance...she sits in a chair in front of a screen showing the electronic schematics.

"What's this?"

"Engine control."

"Meaning?"

"The gas pedal."

"Oh! I'll take it then."

"OK. Here's what you do..."

Drake tuned out, then moseyed onto the pilot's chair. He plopped down, finally feeling the weight of the task at hand. Not only was he to help lead whatever ragtag gang they were putting together, he had to fly this ship. If something, anything were to go wrong, it would be his responsibility.

He turned to the keypad, punched in a private 5 digit code, then the panels, buttons, switches, and screens in front of him lit up. A system check began, formally beginning the countdown to launch. He spun in his chair, and saw Sophie taking a seat as navigator.

"How are we going to fly this ship with only 3 of us?"

"We streamlined the piloting process to make it as efficient as possible. Meaning, we could, in fact, have only one person flying it. the extra responsibilities will be picked up by the ship's onboard AI: DECA. She will be, in essence, your co-pilot."

A voice comes over the PA system: "DECA online. All systems functioning normally. Good morning, Sophie."

"Good morning, DECA. Meet Drake and Alaine: the first 2 rangers."

"Greetings, rangers. I am DECA. How are you?"

"I'm...good. I guess. Never thought I would be talking to a ship." Drake looks around and sees cameras all over the place. "Are these cameras how you see?"

"Yes. How very observant of you, green ranger. I also have microphones and sensor fields all over the ship, so nothing escapes my notice. Don't worry though: There are none in the crew quarters to afford you privacy."

"Thank you."

A beep gets his attention.

"Great. All systems are go, we are ready for launch. Alaine, if you would do the honors?"

"You got it. Engines are hot. Starting up...now."

She pushes a few buttons, and soon the blast and whining of the engines is heard. The ship bucks slightly with all the power surging, then settles into a nice, constant vibration with all the horsepower.

"We are green across the board!"

"Roger that."

Up above them, the massive dome concealing the ship splits in half, and retracts revealing a bright blue sky.

"Drake, this is tower. We have optimal weather conditions. You are cleared for launch."

"Roger tower. We're already on our way out."

"Good luck. May the power protect you."

He slowly, carefully moves the throttle forward. The ship bucks slightly as it lifts off, the underside thrusters firing in sequence keeping the ship level. He maneuvers the ship out of the dome.

"Megaship, this is tower. You have cleared the launch pad. Initiate launch phase 2."

"Roger. Alaine?"

"Got it."

She pushes a few on screen buttons. The main rockets kick on, and the ship races away from the ground. Drake turns the ship to match up with the flight path. He jams the lever all the way forward, as they break through the atmosphere, into the infinite blackness of space.

Alaine looks out the window next to her, and marvels at all the stars spread out before her, and the Earth glowing below.

"Oh, the eternal majesty of god's creation..." She emotes.

Sophie taps away at her screens, making quick calculations, and double checking everything.

"Alright rangers, everything looks good. Ready for our destination?"

"Let's have it."

"We're headed for a planet called 'Cousila'. It's a planet in the same system as the Diamond Planet. There, we're going to find the other 6 rangers we have to rendezvous with."

"That's convenient."

"After the war, all surviving rangers and their children were spread out across the galaxy to help with the rebuilding efforts. The 6 are the sons and daughters of those rangers; just like you. I summoned them there right before launch so we wouldn't have to waste time planet hopping."

"Makes sense. Upload the coordinates to my console, and we'll make the jump to lightspeed."

"Uploading now...and done."

"Hang on to your butts!"

He sets another lever that looks like another emergency brake. The stars bend and warp, then the ship disappears in a blink.


	7. Chapter 7

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Chapter 7

The ship blinked out of hyperspace, and began its approach to Cousila. The planet, almost twice the size of Earth with a star all to its own, was mostly landmasses; jungles, deserts, mountains, even a tropical paradise on the southern end. Rivers and streams kept the planet well hydrated; the water coming from a giant polar ice cap in the northern region.

"Cousila...haven't seen it in years. When I shipped out for SPD, Terraform Recovery was all theory and politics. Now look at it." Sophie points to a gigantic space station in geosynchronous orbit above a gleaming capital city. "The _Athena_ is one of 7 super stations spread throughout the galaxy, spearheading the recovery movement. High power gravity lifts shuttle crew and supplies between the station and the surface...and enough weapons to punch clean through the hull of any cruiser Vile can throw at us."

"Will we be docking with it?"

"No. Head to the surface; to the coordinates I'm feeding you."

"I have them."

Drake slowly throttles back up, and they rocket to the surface. Drake skims low over the trees. In a distance, a large, sprawling military compound appears. A circular landing pad rises up out of the ground. The ship alights softly onto it. The main exit hatch quietly slides up, and a ramp extends out. The rangers disembark, and are greeted by a man in a military outfit.

Alaine didn't know much about the military or ranks, but clearly this was a person high up the chain of command. He carried himself with that kind of strict military bearing; always rigid, barely smiling. What bothered her most was his slick black hair, like there was too much gel.

"Sophie. Good to see you again."

"Likewise, commander." She turns to Drake and Alaine. "Rangers, may I present to you Commander Nick Russell, otherwise known as the Red Mystic Ranger."

He takes Alaine's hand and gently kisses it.

"Charmed, to be sure."

"Commander, this is Alaine and Drake, Tommy's son and daughter."

"Ah yes. Alaine Hart. Your reputation precedes you."

"Even out here, they've heard of me?"

"Of course. A rookie ranger single handedly defeating Lord Zedd? Surely you didn't think that such a feat would remain a secret did you?"

"Well, no, but I-"

"Excellent. Oh my, where are my manners? Like Sophie said before, I am Command Russell. Welcome to Cousila. This is my base: Fortitudine Vincimus."

"What?"

"It's Latin. It means 'Through endurance, we conquer.' Apt, don't you think?"

"Um..sure."

"Come. Let me show you around."

"As much as we would like a tour, Commander, we need to convene the council."

"Now, Sophie?"

"Yes. Vile is on the move, and we need to hurry."

"I understand. I will call them shortly. Can you give me 24 hours?"

"Sure. But don't dawdle."

"I promise, I won't. Ensign Marrow will show you to your quarters."

He walks off to a building with a satellite dish on it. The dish slowly spins in a counter clockwise circle. Alaine gets a brief glimpse of screens and consoles when the door opens.

"Rangers, if you'll follow me?"

"Alright."

He leads through another door recessed into the ground. The hallway is dimly illuminated by red lights. A short ramp, and down another long hallway. Alaine sensed a drop in temperature and knew they were lead underground.

"How far down are we going?"

"Not far. However, the barracks go down pretty deep just in case of an enemy attack. Your quarters are on this level."

They turn a corner, and come to a steel door. He slides a card through a reader, and of course it slides open. They step inside

"Wow!"

Beds, bathrooms, showers, dressers, and a full on kitchen with an island. Everything was chromed, or made from various metallic material, and looked like something out of a 50's sci-fi film.

"This is incredible!" Alaine breathes.

"The refrigerator and cabinets are fully stocked. There's enough food and toiletries for almost 2 months. Here-" He hands Alaine a small, round device. "-this is in case you need anything. Food, security forces, you name it."

"Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, ma'am. Is there anything else you need?"

"I think we're good for now."

"Excellent. I will be back tomorrow to escort you to the council meeting. In the mean time, feel free to sample all the guest services we offer. Down the hall and to the left, we have a team of highly trained masseuses for any aches and pains. Across the courtyard is a small movie theater."

"Is this a military base or a spa retreat?"

The Ensign chuckles at that. "We like to think it's a little of both, ma'am. We work hard, but also enjoy our down time. It's good for morale. One other thing I will caution you on is don't wander into the other guests' quarters. Some of the company visiting are VIP's and specifically ordered to not be disturbed. Also, stay away from any areas that are off limits or require security clearance; you could be shot on sight by our automated turrets. Other than that, enjoy your stay!"

He snaps a perfect about face, and leaves.

"I don't know about you guys, but I need a shower."

Alaine makes for the nearest shower. Next to the stall is the dresser full of clothes. She pulls out a simple change of underclothes and a plain white jump suit. Stepping into the shower, she turns the water temperature all the way up, and within a few minutes the stall, and eventually the room, fills up with steam.

She sits against one wall, let the scalding water pound her naked body. It goes along way towards cleaning off the dirt and grime that she thought was there, and relaxing her muscles. She drifted off.

A loud thump startled her awake, and she blinked through the fog...to find herself standing in a wide open meadow. The wind blows softly, and is faintly moist.

"What is this?"

"It's not Angel Grove, that's for sure."

She turns, seeing Green Ranger coming to her from out of the woods.

"YOU!"

"Relax. I'm not who you think I am. I am only a shade of your father's past."

"Just as I'm a shade of your mother's past."

Alaine spins, seeing the Pink Ranger also coming out of the woods behind her.

"Mom?"

"In a manner of speaking. Listen, this is the most dangerous test you will ever have to face as a Ranger. Everything you have experienced and learned has lead up to this."

"The galaxy was wiped out during the last war. It cannot sustain another campaign. The devastation was apocalyptic the first time. Yet, it will be nothing compared to what will happen if you don't stop Vile here and now."

"Let there be no more doubt and fear in your mind and heart. You have everything you need to win. Remember where you come from. Our blood flows in your veins."

"Our powers...are yours."

Green Rangers puts his hand on Alaine's chest. She transforms into the pink ranger wearing the Dragon Shield, with the Dragon Dagger in her hands.

"Wow..."

"The power will protect you, our daughter."

Alaine wakes to someone shaking her. The water had been shut off, and the steam dissipated.

"What? What!"

She startles to Sophie next to her. She quickly covers herself.

Thank goodness! My apologies. I was just making sure you're OK."

"How long has it been?"

"Over an hour." Sophie grabs a towel and helps Alaine dry off. "We didn't hear anything, and got concerned. So I came to check on you."

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

Alaine quickly gets dressed.

"I guess I fell asleep."

"With all the stress you must be under, I'm not surprised. Now, come. Dinner is almost ready."

"Oh really?"

"Yes. Tonight, the buffet will be open. A once-a-week treat."

"Awesome."


	8. Chapter 8

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Chapter 8

The morning after, Alaine squints into the bright sunlight. The council area was outside, surrounded by a great wall. In the middle, was a small pond with fish, and a recycled bubbling stream. It reminded her of a Japanese rock garden Katherin had in the back yard. She spent 6 years working on it, yet always claimed it wasn't just done yet.

That little memory sent a pang of homesickness through her stomach.

She glanced around at the other, what she supposed to be, rangers gathered, and was quite surprised by the turnout; all wearing similar military uniforms.

"No skin tight leotards for the females, I see." She thought to herself.

Commander Russell got up to address those gathered.

"Good morning. I am a man of few words, so I'll get right to the point. We are facing an unprecedented crisis. Lord Zedd's crusade crippled and devastated the galaxy, now Vile is going to finish the job. I have already sent word to all allied planets that Vile is beginning to move. They promised to support us in what way they can, but to be honest, we're on our own. Quite literally, the fate of the galaxy rests with us. Now, seated to my left and right are Drake Hillard, and Alaine Hart. They are the ones leading this mission. I am their second-in-command. Now, please, introduce yourselves."

Going to the right, everyone takes their turn. One at a time.

"My name is Qi Kwan. My mother was Trini Kwan, the original yellow ranger."

"I thought you looked familiar!"

"Yeah, I know right? We should catch up!"

Commander Russell loudly clears his throat.

"Sorry."

The next person gets up.

"My name is Kai, junior. I've heard all the jokes, so don't be afraid to hold back. Anyway, my father was Kai, the blue Lost Galaxy ranger."

"Ola. I'm Jack Aston. My father was the black Operation Overdrive ranger."

A big man gets up. Muscles bulge underneath his uniform.

He speaks with a heavy Russian accent.

"Dominic. White Wild Force."

He sits back down again. He looks around, angrily glaring at everyone. Especially Sophie.

"My name is Sophie. I'm the silver SPD ranger."

"Thank you everyone. I am Commander Nick Russell. I am the red Mystic Ranger. My parents were the gold and white Mystic Rangers. Let me make one thing clear: this is Alaine's mission. You will respond to her orders as if they were mine. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Came the response.

"Excellent. All of you have the rest of the day to prepare for departure. So I suggest you do what you need to. Come 600 hours we'll be on the megaship. You are now excused."

The rangers salute, then file their way out of the meeting area. Alaine pulls Drake aside.

"I'm going to head to the gym for a little bit. Wanna go?"

"Um...no thanks. I'm going to head back to the ship. The ticks in the power coils have me concerned. Then I might go write in my journal."

"Oh. OK."

"What's up?"

"Mm. I just wanted to hang out for a bit. You're only my brother ya know?"

"I know. Believe me I do know." He smiles at her. "Next time. I promise."

"OK! Great!"

"Besides, I think you got a friend that wants to hang with you instead."

She turns and is greeted by Qi's toothy, wide smile. They embrace energetically, and laugh uncontrollably!

"I thought I'd never see you again!"

"This is great!"

"Where have you been?"

"Where have YOU been?"

"Come on!"

Qi leads them back to her room, then shuts the door. She reaches into a nightstand, and pulls out a small book of photos. They both sit on the bed. Qi opens the book, which contains numerous family photos, as well as a few random momentos.

"Remember when we were in high school, and I quit junior year?"

"Yeah. What happened?"

"Well, my parents got divorced. You remember my mother, Trini?"

"Of course. She was only on the same team as my parents."

"Right. If you remember, she quit the team to head up some multi-trillion dollar disaster peace conference. After that-" She flips a page. "-She got a job as the US ambassador to the UN. Unfortunately, my dad didn't want to leave since he was about to get a promotion in NASADA. One thing lead to the next, and he took me to start a new life in Reefside. NASADA opened a small research lab there and wanted him to head it up. I never saw my mother after that."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too. The only time I heard from her was the occasional birthday card."

"What about your dad?"

"Billy? Still at NASADA. When I told him I wanted to volunteer intergalactic recovery effort, he gave me my mom's morpher. Apparently a left over from better days. He said she left it behind before heading off to New York."

"Is she still there?"

"I hope so."

She closes the book of pictures, and puts it back in the nightstand.

"I miss her."

"I know how you feel. I miss my mother too."

"Kimberly? She OK?"

"She's dead."

Drake pulls off a wall panel, revealing the power coils for the engines. Also in there is a giant fuse box, and a tangle of thick cables tied off in 2 places. He reaches in the toolbox. Rummaging around in the pile of hardware, he pulls out a torque wrench.

He taps one of the coils. It reverberates and echoes in the massive chamber. He taps the other one. It also reverbs and echoes, yet shakes slightly.

"Ah, there you are!"

He reaches inside. Blindly searching, he finds the loose bolt, then fits the wrench onto it.

Engrossed in his task, he didn't see the massive mountain of a man approach him.

"Green Ranger."

Drake looks up.

"Dominic. Would you mind stepping to the side? You're in my light."

Dom does just that. He walks up to Drake on the other side.

"The one called SOPHIE."

"Yeah? What about her?"

"That one...is not to be trusted."

"What? Why?"

"There is more to her than she is letting on. Do not let yourself be deceived."

Dom walks away, leaving Drake alone in the eerie silence in the bowels of the ship. he shakes his head, then goes back to work.


	9. Chapter 9

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Chapter 9

Drake wipes the oil off his hands with an old rag he had dug up. In addition to the power coils, he had replaced a few of the fuses, and oiled up a few gears to keep everything working smoothly. The encounter with Dominic left him stupefied. How could she be anything but what she appeared to be? He wondered to himself.

He put his tools away. Just then, his communicator went off.

After having just made love, Qi pulls her jumpsuit back on. Alaine does the same.

"Truth be told, I wouldn't have lasted so long if I wasn't so good at building things."

"I know that feeling."

Their communicators went off too.

Sophie carefully examines electronic schematics of the Megaship. She makes notes all over it. Her communicator also beeps and she rapidly saves the file, then shuts down the computer. She pushes the small, round button on the side.

"Rangers. This is Commander Russell. Report to the hangar bay immediately."

She goes to leave the room and is confronted by Dominic! He stares menacingly at her until she shrinks back slightly.

"Let's go."

He walks off towards the hangar bay, with Sophie in tow. She walks nervously behind him, checking her surroundings, just in case.

They emerge in the hangar bay; the last ones to arrive. All the rangers stand in a circle. Nick converses with Alaine and Drake in hushed tones so the others can't hear. She nods her head, then Nick addresses the rest of them.

"Alright, now that we're all acquainted, it's time to set out on our mission. Sophie, is the ship ready to launch?"

"According to my data, it is, sir."

"Excellent. Alaine? Drake? You ready?"

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Let's get loaded up then. We don't have much time."

The ranges scurry to the cockpit, and take their places at their respective consoles. The power up one by one; screens flickering to life, buttons and panels flashing to life. Drake punches a series of icons in sequence. He smiles when the massive engines roar to life. The vibrations envelope to life, then throughout the hangar.

"How we looking, Alaine?"

"We are green, and very, very mean."

"Roger that."

The ship gently lifts off, levitating just a few feet off the deck. Gently throttling up, the larger than life craft rockets out the hangar, racing for the atmosphere. Alaine liked this part; when the ship broke the clouds, revealing the infinite depths of space. All the stars seemingly blinked into existence just for her, which made her heart soar.

"Sophie, you got those coordinates for me?"

"Aye, aye. Uploaded."

"Got them. DECA, ETA?"

"Estimated time of arrival is: 2 days, 17 hours, 36 minutes, and 20 seconds."

"Excellent. Ladies, and gentlemen, this is your captain. Please keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times. Sit back, and relax."

Tapping furiously at the console, he engages a separate lever. The stars bend and warp, then stretch into a single, glowing tube as the ship blinks out of existence.

"Alaine?"

"Warp engines are green. Everything is normal."

"Good. Everyone, you are now free to move about the cabin."

He engages the autopilot. he approaches Alaine as she unstraps from her chair and gets up.

"You can forget about your troubles with those imperial slugs. Told you I'd outrun 'em."

She gives him a crooked look, like he was speaking a foreign language.

"What?"

"Star Wars?"

"Never saw it."

"You haven't seen any of the 12 movies?"

"No."

"Oh. Well, maybe we should watch them some time."

"I'd like that!"

"Great!"

Sophie rummages around in the storage room. She opens a crate, checking its contents. It's packed with a near endless supply of foodstuffs in shiny, silver packets. She counts them, and seems satisfied by the total sum. She moves onto the next one. She opens it. Again, foodstuffs. She begins counting it.

Until she suddenly grabbed from behind, and thrown against the wall! She crumples to the floor. In her blurred vision, Dominic picks her up by the throat, pinning her against the wall.

"I know how you are. I know what you are."

She struggles uselessly in his iron grip. His muscles throb under his clothes.

"I will be watching you. If you step out of line, or tell anyone else about this-"

He slams Sophie to the floor, then crouches over her.

"-I will end you."


	10. Chapter 10

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Chapter 10

Dominic went out from the storage room, shutting the door behind him. He left Sophie whimpering, and writhing, on the floor, in pain. He felt that his message had gotten through to her. He was about to return to his quarters when Alaine came around the corner.

"Oh! Dom! I didn't see you there."

"No problem."

"Have you seen Sophie? I have something to tell her."

"I haven't. Right now, you have to come with me."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I have something to show you."

"Well...OK. Let's go."

He led her to the upper launch bay. Alaine had recognized this from the schematics Sophie showed her from the training days. This was the main shuttle bay; where the final piece of what would have been the megazord was stored: a small space shuttle that would have been the head. Now, it was mostly empty and had become something of a storage area. It was still usable in case of emergencies though.

Dom flipped a couple of levers. All the way down the bay, lights came on one by one with muffled thumps. Alaine gasped at the sight of a gigantic round bomb taking up most of the space.

"What the fu-"

"May I present...The Tsar Bomb."

"It's big!"

"It's Russian." He smiles at her.

"The nuclear warhead alone is 300 megatons. Also included is enough antimatter to disintegrate an entire planet."

"Wait...why?"

"Commander Russell...'donated' this masterpiece to NASADA after finding out about the mission. Should anything go wrong, this would be the back-up plan."

"I just hope we never have to use it."

He chuckles at her. "I hope we do."

Drake wanders into the common area, and sees Kai and Jack engrossed in a tense game of holographic chess. Kai wipes a drop of sweat from his brow, then retreats his knight.

"Hey, have you guys seen-"

"Um, excuse me. Please don't interrupt. We are playing for title of champion of the universe."

"Sorry."

Jack advances his queen.

"CHECKMATE, BRO!"

"Damn."

"Sorry, Drake, you were saying?"

"Yeah. have either seen Sophie?"

"I think she said something about inventorying the food. Just to make sure we had enough for the next few days."

"Cool, thanks."

"No problem. What say you, Kai: white or black, this time?"

"White, please!"

"Sure."

The pieces zip back into place. Drake continues on his way.

He marches towards the storage area, when he hears a crash!

He breaks into a full sprint, and mashes the door open button.

"Help! HELP!"

"Sophie!"

He finds her leg trapped under a heavy crate!

"Drake!"

"Don't move! I'll get this!"

"Hurry!"

Drake gets his arms under the crate. Straining, he lifts it up high enough for Sophie to scoot out. He drops the crate, and it breaks open, spilling food packets all over the place. She leans up against a wall, cradling her left leg.

"Are you OK?"

"I think it's broken!"

"I'll get you to the medbay. Come on."

He picks her up, and practically carries her to the medbay. He sets her on a bed; his head covered in beads of sweat from the effort.

"Thank you so much, Drake. You saved my life!"

"Aww..."

"You did! Who else was going to rescue me?"

"Well...OK. If you say so!"

"I'll be alright now. Can a girl have a little privacy, please?" She smiles ever so sweetly at him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I do have a background in medicine."

"If you need anything, let me know."

"Will do."

Back in his quarters, Dominic converses with a shadowy figure.

"How did it go, Dominic?"

"Very well. She doesn't suspect a thing."

"Excellent. And Sophie?"

"She won't pose a problem."

"Everything is happening as I have planned. Soon, Sophie will be out of the way, and Alaine will be one of us. Dominic, be mindful."

"Yes, sir."

Sophie came from the medbay with a couple of bandages wrapped around her leg, and a brace to keep her leg stiff. She hobbled down the hallway, putting all her weight on a cane. She went out to the common area, then plopped into one of the big, soft, white chairs.

Tired from the effort she took out a flash drive, and plugged it into the table. The surface lit up. Seconds later, a 3 dimensional hologram appeared, displaying a list of contents. She double tapped on the file containing the schematics. A fully realized model of the ship popped up, along with the notes she made.

She spins the model around, zooming in and out, taking a mental checklist of the work that still needed to be done to this ship. She made a note of a few minor stress fractures that had appeared in the hull.

"Hey!"

She's snaps her head up.

"Hey, Alaine."

"Oh my goodness! You're leg!"

"It's OK. Really. Just a little accident."

"Doesn't look little. What happened?"

"I-"

"_If you tell anyone what happened...I will end you!_" Dominic's words flashed in her mind. After that encounter, she tried to pull herself up, but the crate fell on her.

"I Tried to get a crate down, and it fell. I guess I underestimated its weight."

"You should've asked for help."

"I was going to, but it was too late. Besides, it's not broken or anything. I'll be fine by the time we get there."

"Good. Whatcha got there?" Alaine points to the ship, slowly rotating in mid air.

"Here, take a look."

Alaine sits down next to her.

"This is the ship's schematics. I've been thinking about adding a few upgrades when this mission is over."

"Like what?"

"Well...-"

"Hey, girls. Studying?"

"Hey, Drake."

"Sophie was showing me some things she has planned for this ship."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it's really cool!"  
"You'll have to show me sometime."

"Have you seen Kai or Jake?"

"They went to work out. I just got back from there, actually."

"Sounds like fun. I think I'll go do that too. Have fun now."

"See you later then."

Alaine moves past them to the turbolift. After getting in, the door closes, then the sound of air whooshing echoes in the chamber. Sophie shuts the table off, and gets up, putting all her weight on her good leg.

"Um...thanks."

"For what?"

Her eyes go slightly wide. Also, her breathing noticeably changes.

"You know...for...just...you know what?"

"What?"

Sophie reaches up, locking her hands behind his neck. She pulls him close, putting her lips to his, gently massaging them. He returns the kiss. He wrapped his arms her, holding her against him. He drowned in the moment.

Her scent.

The taste of her lips.

The smoothness of her fingers on his face.

An absolutely perfect moment.

She pulled away. She gazed into his eyes. He stared back.

She looked past him, and gasped.

Drake turned.

Standing there, was Dominic.

He glared at them angrily.

"You, girl...you _will_ _pay_ for this!"


	11. Chapter 11

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Chapter 11

Dominic left, leaving our two heroes alone in the empty common space. Sophie gingerly sat down on the overstuffed chair again. The newly minted lovebirds stared at each other, both red-faced.

"What do you think he meant by that?"

"I have no idea, Drake. It didn't sound pleasant, whatever it was."

"We need to be more careful. No more making out in public, OK, babe?"

She chuckles at him. "Sure. I'm going to go lay down. I'm in a lot of pain right now."

"Need any help?"

"No, I'll be alright. Thanks."

She gets up, hobbling away towards her quarters. Drake heads for the cockpit. He sits in the pilot's chair. He flips on a console screen. Appearing are all the star charts from the nearby systems their passing. One in particular catches his eye.

"Huh...Lando system. Cool."

Sophie reaches the door to her quarters. She slides her card through the reader. It beeps softly, then flashes green. The door silently slides open. She spies her bed; so warm and inviting. As she steps into the room, she's grabbed from behind! Violently thrown against the opposite wall, she crumples in a heap! In her vision, Dominic winds up, and kicks her in the ribs, temporarily stunning her.

"Drake, I'm detecting a disturbance in hallway 4-C."

"On screen, DECA."

On the main screen, the ambush is displayed. Dominic repeatedly kicks her in the ribs, and stomps on her broken leg twice. Drake's face goes white with rage.

"Motherfucker...!" He rushes towards the fight. En route, he jams on his communicator. "Rangers, assistance required! Converge on this signal!"

He arrives in time to see Dom pinning her to the ground, delivering vicious right hands to her face and head. Not thinking, Drake dived in, tackling Dom, sending them both rolling down the hall. Getting up, Drake throws a right hand of his own, connecting with Dom's jaw, sending him reeling. But only for a few seconds. Dom staggers back to the fight, sending Drake back a few steps with a left hook!

Suddenly, he's hit from behind by Kai!

Kai wrestles him to the ground, wrapping his legs in a knot, with a basic wrestling hold. Dom tries to struggle free as Jack launches into the fray, restraining his arms. Drake gets back into it, keeping Dom pinned to the ground. The girl rangers show up.

"Tend to her!" Drake directs them.

The girls start checking for vitals, and broken bones.

Finally defeated, Dom lets out a deafening roar, heard in every corner of the ship.

Locked up in the brig, behind an invisible laser wall, Dom paces like a caged animal. Anger clearly etched on his face as he glares at Drake and Alaine. They quietly converse outside his cell.

"What to do about him?"

"I don't know. Something needs to be done before this gets way out of hand."

"Way out of hand? Are you serious? Sophie is laid up in the medbay with life threatening injuries!"

"What do you want me to do, Drake? What do you expect from me?"

"Your our leader! You need to make a decision. This isn't going to go away on its own."

Alaine sighs heavily. Shaking her head, she takes off, stomping off back to her quarters. She collapses onto her bed. Feeling of of frustration, and anger bubble up within her. Hot tears come to the surface. Just as quickly though, they slowly dissipate as Qi rubs her very tense shoulders.

"What's wrong, love?" Qi coos to her.

"I don't know what to do. What would be an appropriate punishment for assaulting a fellow ranger?"

"A difficult question, sure. For right now though, I think keeping him locked up is the best solution."

"We'll see."

"There is one thing to consider though: Why did he do it?"

Drake sits in a chair beside an unconscious Sophie. He gently pulls the hair off her face. What's not hidden under layers of bandages and casts is an ugly shade of black and blue. Numerous tubes and wires lead from her body to a variety of machines. He replays the confrontation in his mind.

With his blood boiling, he heads for the elevator.

"Brig!"

He's on his way.

He begins to pace as the light slowly tick down to the lowest levels of the ship. Each passing deck, his anger grows and grows. His muscles twitch at the prospect of wrapping his hands around Dom's neck.

Standing before the cell, he spies the traitor sitting on the floor, in a dark, brooding state.

"You got one chance. Talk."

The white ranger barely turns his head to look at Drake. It's clear he hasn't slept.

"Talk? You expect me to talk?"

"It's treason. Punishable by death."

"You are a terrible liar."

"Want to risk it?"

Dom gets up, and approaches the invisible laser gate.

"What do you want?"

"The truth."

"Try asking your lover."

Drake slams his fist into the gate. It flares up and disappears.

"She's unconscious, you jackass!"

"What a problem to have."

The 2 alpha males stare each other down. The air itself crackles with electricity.

"I told you not to trust her. Then I see you making out with her. You have any idea what you've done!"

"Enlighten me."

"Your..._girlfriend_...is an assassin. You just signed all of our death warrants."


	12. Chapter 12

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Chapter 12

"What do you mean?" Drake asked menacingly. He wasn't prepared for another lie. No way he could take it without going crazy and ripping Dom limb from limb. It was all he could do to stop himself from charging into the cell.

"That one...she is an agent of SkyNet. In other words...a Terminator."

"Give me a break. Those only exist in the movies. Quit bullshitting."

"Where do you think they got the idea? The project was developed secretly. No one knew about it. Until one was released, with a primary directive to hunt down and destroy the last remaining Power Rangers."

"Us."

"Western demons like you and I, Drake, are all that's left. If we die, so does our legacy."

"If it's so secret, then how do you know about it?"

"I was tasked with hunting her down. I had to find her before it was too late. Lo and behold, she fell right into my hands."

"If what you say is true, which I highly doubt it is, then why not just kill us now?"

"Because machines like her are very expensive, and almost impossible to reproduce. She has to make it back to her superiors alive, and in one piece."

"I see. Well, I guess I will have to have a chat with her as soon as she wakes up."

"I would not advise that. If you reveal that you know, the results could be...unpredictable."

"Yeah well...thanks. I guess."

"Don't say I never warned you."

Drake turned away, leaving the cell door up. His head was spinning from this latest piece of news. If Dom was right, did that mean that Sophie was manipulating him into a false sense of security? He had to find Alaine. Right now, she was the only one he could trust.

In the gym, Alaine runs hard on a treadmill. Armed with with only an Ipod blasting old school AC/DC, and a holstered bottle of water. She gazes straight ahead into a panoramic vista of snow capped mountains towering over the clouds. On the control panel, a small red light flashes, and a steady tone sounds, alerting her to the fact that she ran 20 miles. On the expert mountain course. The image before transitions to a wooded area, with a hiking trail snaking through it for the cool down. Sweat completely darkened her tank top. What was once bright pink is now almost black. It stuck to her skin like tape.

"20 miles already?" Qi boards the treadmill next to her, and begins power walking.

"Yeah." Alaine breathes hard. In between breaths, and sips of water, talking proved to be slightly difficult. "Can't remember the last time I ran that far. Probably not since track in high school."

"How do you feel?"

"Good. If I wasn't so out of shape, I'd do 20 more."

"Out of shape?" Qi asks with a note of sarcasm. "Please."

"I used to do 20 miles once or twice a week...way back when."

"Ah. I wish I could do that. I can barely do 5."

"I'll have to teach you sometime. Right now...I need a shower."

"Hey there you are!" Drake runs in completely out of breath. "I need to talk to you."

"Whoa, OK, slow down. What's going on?"

"It's Sophie."

"Is she OK?"

"We have to discuss it privately."

"Alright. I'll grab a quick shower. Meet me in my cabin in about 15 minutes."

"Will do."

Drake stalked into the medbay, right up to Sophie's bed. He bent down, and put his mouth next to her ear.

"I know who you are. I know _what_ you are. I will make you pay for what you've done."

Her eyes fluttered opened, immediately going wide with fear.

"All your secrets belong to me _sweetheart_."

He left, heading for the lift that would take him to Alaine's quarters.

Sequestered in his own cabin, Commander Nick Russell stares intently at a small, wallet sized picture in his hand. It shows a younger version of himself standing with a young woman in front of a house. He had been dressed in a fine tuxedo, and her in a flowing pink dress.

Given their wide smiles, one would never had guessed she had been dying of a horrible disease.

A tear fell from his eye.

"I wasn't strong enough to save you. But soon...I will be."

"Are you absolutely sure he's telling the truth?"

Alaine had been pacing back and forth in the small-ish cabin ever since Drake had told her what Dom told him.

"Why would he lie?"

"To save his own skin, maybe."

"I don't know. I get the feeling that there's something else going on behind all this. Everything's too convenient to pass off as coincidence."

"Right. Well...the commander and Dom are pretty close. Maybe that would be a good place to start."

"Good idea. Maybe for the time being we should detain Sophie?"

"Do it."

By the time Drake came back, Sophie was up, dressed, and on the way out of the medbay when he cut her off. He was surprised by this.

"If you already know about me...there's no point in pretending now, is there?"

"Speaking of which...Under the rangers code of honor, section 117, you're under arrest."

"What?"

"Don't make this difficult."

He spun her around, and slapped cuffs on her wrists. He made sure to make them extra tight, almost cutting off circulation to her hands.

"Ow! Drake!"

"Shut it."

"What are you doing? Stop!"

He grabbed her upper arm and practically dragged her to the lift.

"You're hurting me!"

"Oh, am I? Try being me right now."

"Why?"

"You lied to me!"

"No I didn't! Let me explain!"

"No! I don't want to hear any more of your lies!"

"I haven't-"

"I thought I told you to shut up?"

With the sole exception of sobbing, and whimpering from the overly tight cuffs, she kept quiet. When they got to the cell block, Drake chose the one right across from Dom's. He lowered the laser gate. Removing the cuffs, he kicked her violently in the lower back, sending her flying a few feet into the cell. She landed in a ball on the floor, her body wracked with sobs.

Drake powered the gate back on. He left fuming; on the verge of exploding, feeling no sympathy.

Across the hall, Dom got up, and approached his own laser wall.

"Well, well, well...that certainly didn't take very long, did it?"

"FUCK YOU! Leave me alone!"

"As you wish..." he laughed menacingly.

Alaine knocked softly on Nick's door. She had been nervous during the entire trip up here. Now that she was at his door, she could feel her heart having palpitations. This was going to be the first time she had interacted with him one-on-one, and had no idea how it was going to turn out. The other part being that she felt that she stumbled onto a conspiracy of epic proportions. And she knew what happened to people who did that; they had a habit of mysteriously "disappearing", and never coming back.

"Come in!"

She took a deep breath, swiped her card, and stepped in.

"Alaine! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I was wondering if we could talk about the recent...'business' with Sophie."

"Hmm...pretty nasty from what I heard. How she doing?"

"Not sure. I haven't seen her since, quite frankly."

"I see."

"Look...what do you know about it?"

"I know everything."


	13. Chapter 13

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Chapter 13

"Start talking!" Alaine practically screamed.

"My, my, my...right down to business, I see."

"If you have information, spill it!"

"Fine. Here. Let me show you something:" Nick hands her the photo.

"I must admit, you look good in this pic."

"Thanks."

"Who's that? Your girlfriend?"

"Hahaha! No. That's my sister, Janice. The night of my graduation from the academy."

"I really like her dress."

"It was a wedding gown, if you can believe it. A gift from our mother. She would never get to wear it, so she dyed it, and wore it to this special occasion."

"What do you mean, she would never get to wear it?"

Nick's face turned grave. Never before had he shared this story with anyone. With his back against the wall though, what choice did he have?

"From birth, she had contracted a fatal blood disorder. Her white blood cells began attacking everything. Her organs were, quite literally, disintegrating. Blood transfusions, organ transplants...nothing worked. Only temporary stop gaps. She didn't live to see her 19th birthday."

Taking a second, closer look, Alaine could see the girl's face looked absolutely ragged. Like someone smiling through the pain.

"What does all this have to do with Sophie?"

Having had a few hours to think things over, Drake had a slight change of heart, and was at least willing to hear what Sophie had to say in her defense. He stood outside her cell. Dom kept heckling him, so Drake had no choice but to lower the cell door to drown him out. In Sophie's cell, she sat on the cot, which protruded from the wall. Head down, legs tucked all the way up to her chest. He felt nothing but pity and regret.

"Sophie?" He barely whispered. The only illumination the cell was getting came from the hallway, for she had shut the lights off. Hearing her name with his voice she turned her head slightly. He could see that she had been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy.

"Can I talk to you?"

She continued to stare at him. Finally, she nodded slightly before resuming her position. He slid his card through the reader, and stepped in.

"DECA?"

"Yes?"

"Close and lock the door behind me."

"Understood."

He took another step in. True to her word, the door silently closed behind him. He could hear all 6 locks clicking into the place, keeping the door secured to the wall, and the floor. He gingerly sat down on the cot beside her. She didn't move. Just watching her, he couldn't even tell if she was breathing or not.

"Sophie...all I want to know is...is it true?"

She turned her head again, and spoke just barely above audible levels, her voice hopelessly cracked.

"Why? Come to beat me up again? May as well. Everyone else is."

"No. That's not what this is about. I just want to know if what Dom said is true."

"Do you believe him?"

"I don't know!"

"You better know. In the end, it may not matter what I say."

"Please, Sophie? I'm just trying to figure out what's going on!"

As if there was a heavy 2 ton weight on her back, she got up and stood before him.

"Yes. It is. I am an agent of SkyNet. I am one of your so-called 'Terminators.' Happy now?"

"Not really. I mean, care to explain?"

"You really want to hear my life story?"

"If it'll shed light on the situation, I think I better hear it."

"OK." She swallowed hard. Locking eyes with him, she started in. "When I was born, I had been diagnosed with a congenital blood disorder. Something I inherited from my father's side of the family. My mother, on the other hand, was immune to it. Safe to say that I got the...'best' of both worlds. I was in remission for my entire life until I hit puberty, then it started. My white blood cells started eating away at all my internal organs. I would die before I turned 25. Fortunately, my parents had connections in the medical world. They were able to get me vital organ transplants. A temporary solution meant to stop the spread until a more permanent solution could be found. Word came down that Skynet was offering an experimental surgery that could prolong my life. They would remove my damaged organs and replace them with cybernetic copies.

"Cybernetic."

"Yes. Robotic organs that would function like real ones. They had been researching, developing, and testing for years. Now the final product was ready for whomever needed it."

"Like you."

"Exactly. I didn't hesitate to sign up. By the end of the day, I was under anesthetic having my liver replaced. In the weeks that followed, my intestines, my lungs...you name it. it's all..."

"Synthetic."

She barely nodded.

"The only thing really left of me are my bones, blood vessels, and half my brain."

"Half of your brain?"

"Yes. But you couldn't guess."

"Haha...No I couldn't."

"Therein lies the real danger though."  
"What do you mean?"

"Drake...within the next 2-3 years, what's left of my brain will have been completely consumed. My thoughts, my feeling, emotions, memories...it will all be gone. Me...the Sophie you see standing here...will be gone. In a sense...dead."

"Orders were handed down from a few higher-ups in the chain of command. You know top secret? More secret than that. As far as anyone knew, this mission didn't exist."

"What happened?"

"SkyNet had been building an army of covert agents through its cybernetic organs transplant program. When we found out that one had infiltrated the SPD, safe to say everyone was scrambling to find it before it was too late. By the time we had a trail going, she slipped through our fingers and wound up in the past."

"Sophie."

"Yes. Dominic and I were sent back to try and find her. By the time we landed though, you landed at our launch pad."

"Lucky for you."

"If you can call it that. We ended up on the opposite end of the galaxy with no shuttle. Not exactly the way to start off a mission. Especially one of a very secretive, very dangerous nature."

"Go on."

"Right. In the records that were given to me, I noticed that Sophie had the same blood disorder my sister did. But there was a twist. Her mother was immune. I knew if I could capture her, take a sample of her blood, a cure would be found."

"Which is why you need her alive."

"Exactly. Our orders were to seek and destroy. Disobeying them...well...let's just say that there are fates worse than death."

"So...why order Dom to attack her?

"Dominic was acting outside the chain of command. If we were anywhere else, he'd be facing a tribunal for disobeying my orders."

"Which are, from what you're telling me, contradictory to your original orders."

He smiles brightly at her. "Now you're catching on. When we took off, I knew I had to make a decision. I specifically told him not to touch her."

"It didn't work."

"I know. Not to worry though. I'll be dealing with him soon enough."

"Dead?"

"Yes. I'll be 100% machine by then. Nothing even remotely human."

"I'm sorry. I mean, I know it doesn't sound like anything, but...I don't know what else to say."

"I want to show you something."

"Oh?"

She unzips the front of her jumpsuit down to her waist. She removes her arms from her sleeves, and it falls back, hanging awkwardly behind her. She unclips her bra, letting it slide off her arms onto the floor. Out of her right pointer finger, a small blade pops out.

"What's that?"

"A perk."

She put the blade to the base of her neck.

"Wait, don't!"

"Drake, it's OK. Trust me."

He settles back, still visibly tense.

"I won't bleed...much."

She starts to cut herself open. Slowly drawing the blade down between her breasts, over her toned stomach, and stopped just above her navel. The blade popped back in. She peeled back her flesh, and much to Drake's astonishment, revealed a layer of solid metal. The SkyNet logo glared back at him; it was clearly laser etched into the second layer of "skin". She touched a bolt in each of the 4 corners, and they unscrewed themselves. A pop, and a hiss, and the panel came loose. She pulled it off, then handed it to him. He stared at it, completely wide eyed. he turned it over and over in his hands.

He looked back up at her. underneath the panel was a maze of wires, lights, chips, motherboards, transistors, capacitors, and a few dozen other things he couldn't even begin to imagine. In the middle, a white cube glared brightly.

"This is what I wanted to show you."

She pulled out the white cube. To him, it almost looked like a power supply. When she pulled it all the way out, there, to his everlasting surprise was a still beating human heart.

"Oh my god!" Drake breathes

"I could very easily have had it replaced. After all this is only my third one." She replaces the cube, and begins putting herself back together. "I just...didn't want to lose the last part of my humanity, you know?"

"Makes sense."

She closes the incision back up. It heals instantly.

"What? How-"

"Another perk. Since I was going under the knife so many times, they injected me with a serum to heal the wounds. As you can see, no scars."

She begins to pull the jumpsuit back on. He rises, and lightly grabs her hands, stopping her.

"I am sorry for what I did. Believe me when I say that I would never hurt you on purpose. I...I panicked. No excuses though."

"It's OK, really, it is. I'm surprised my secret didn't get out sooner.

He puts her hands around his neck, pulling her close.

"I love you, Sophie."

"I love you t-"

He interrupts her with a kiss. His hands move down her back to the suit. he peels it off of her, and it falls to the floor, leaving her standing there in nothing but her panties. She stepped out of the suit, kicking it across the floor. She unzipped his suit revealing his muscular shoulders and chest. It too fell to the floor.

As he started to kiss her neck, she moaned in pleasure. He could feel her melting in his arms.

"Oh, Drake!...Drake!"

"Yeah, baby?"

"Please...Please...make love to me!"

While being taken on the cot, she reached under one of the corners and pushed a button. The cot slid out a couple more feet effectively doubling its width. For the rest of the night, her every curve, every inch of her body, felt his love. In total bliss, she felt more alive than at any other time. After a deeply, soul-quenching, finish, they snuggled together, and didn't move; only gazing into each other's eyes, drowning in the moment.

"I got to find Drake and tell him all this. He needs to know."

She looked over at the clock. 3:43 a.m.

"I think for right now though, Alaine, is for you to get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow. or should I say, later? Hmm."

"Agreed. I guess it can wait. Well, thank you for everything, Commander."

"My pleasure. Like I said, I give you my word as an officer and a gentlemen that I will deal with Dominic. You don't have to worry about it."

"Thank you."

She returns to her own quarters. She enters to find it all dark.

"_She must be in bed..._" She thought to herself. She strips off the suit, then rummages around in a drawer for a nightgown.

"Hey!"

"Ah!"

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

"Qi! Damn. How long you been awake?"

"Since you came in. It's one of those night again."

"Your insomnia?" She pulls on the nightgown, and removes all her underwear. She climbs into bed, pulling the comforter all the way up.

"Yeah. I hate not being able to fall asleep."

"I know the feeling."

"Did you and the Commander have a nice chat?"

"How did you know?"

"Kai told me he saw you going in his room."

"Oh. Yes, we did. He told me everything."

"Like what?"

"I can't tell you. Confidentiality."

"I understand."

The girls snuggle close.

"I missed my workout partner this evening."

"I'm sorry, Qi. I tried!"

"It's OK. Besides, you're here now."

They kiss.


	14. Chapter 14

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Chapter 14

A sudden jolt from the ship stirred Sophie awake. In the darkness, she sat up, keeping the sheet pinned to her body to cover herself up. The ship vibrated wildly for a few seconds until it stopped. Just as quickly, the cell door shuddered, then slid up. Light flooded in. It hit Drake's face, finally waking him. Alaine stood in the doorway all ready for action.

She took one look at the couple in bed. A shake of her head, a roll of her eyes made it abundantly clear that she did not approve.

"Get dressed. We have an emergency. Report to the common area immediately."

"Yes, ma'am."

Alaine turns on her heel. Her boots click on the hard deck. Sophie jumps out of bed. She gathers her underclothes, putting them back on. Drake springs into action, doing the same. He watches her. He can see that she's flustered, and nervous. Her movements are clumsy and uncoordinated. A first.

"Hey. You OK?"

"I'm fine. Why?"

"You seem a little tense."

"Do I? I'm sorry."

"Talk to me, what's going on?"

"Nothing. I'm fine!"

"Sophie. You can't fool me that easily."

She zips up her jumpsuit, and sits on the bed. Drake also pulls on his suit, sitting next to her. She gazes at some random point on the wall, as if it contained all the answers to the secret of life.

"Drake...I never allowed myself to fall in love before. I figured that with my disease, I would never ever allow anyone to have feelings for me. Why let someone experience that joy and happiness only to have it ripped away? I could never bring myself to let someone feel that kind of devastation. It wouldn't be right."

"But if you found the right guy, it would be worth it."

"Drake, you must understand. You're the first person I've ever loved. Truly loved. Sure we could come out of this alive, and get married, then what? I can't give you children. Even so, we would only have 2 years. You think it's worth it?"

"I do. I can look at the same situation and see 2 years of happiness and fulfillment."

"Oh, Drake!" Tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Listen to me. You're the first person I've ever loved, too. I know how it feels. You've made me the happiest man alive. And that's how it will always be, no matter what."

"Really?"

"I promise." He kisses her softly. "Now, we gotta go. Don't want to be late."

With a decent pace, they find their way to the common area. All the other rangers, including Dominic, are huddled around a massive holographic display. The lovers stand in the circle. Dom smiles awkwardly at Sophie. Then winks at her. She shakes her head.

"What's the situation, Commander?"

"About 12 minutes ago, we received a distress signal from a nearby planet called 'Corsis'. It's a planet in the Lambda System. It's a farm world, about 3x the size of Earth."

"OK, and?"

"Well, Qi, this planet is responsible for feeding close to a trillion people in this system, and all surrounding quadrants. if this planet falls, those people will die."

"I see. I sorry. What's going on?"

"We counted about 30 warships incoming."

The other rangers gasp. Nick zooms out the holo map showing all the ships surrounding the planet.

"It seems that our dear friend Vile has thrown the first punch. Question is, what do we do?"

"What do you mean?"

"We are only a few hours away from Vile's stronghold. We go now, we can end this before this gets out of control. On the other hand, this planet falls, the consequences will be felt for decades. If not, longer."

"There is one thing you're forgetting, Commander."

"What is it, Sophie?"

"This planet is also the source of food for the _Phoenix_."

"Oh, that's right. Thanks you."

"The Phoenix?"

"Yes, Alaine. Another terraform recovery platform."

"Wait a minute. Those platforms have weapons. Can they help?"

"Their too far away. By the time they arrive, they'll be backing up a graveyard. Even so, they would be nothing but a huge target for those ships. Alaine...you are in charge of this mission. What do we do? Do we go down to the planet and make a stand, or go after Vile and end this?"

"Uh..I-...I don't know! I mean, what does everyone think?"

"No, Alaine. YOU make the decision!"

"I-"

"People will die within the hour! What do we do?"

"Just-"

"Decide! Now!"

"I need time!"

"There is no time!"

With a huff, she takes off. She sprints towards the holodeck.

"Angel Grove foothills! The plateau overlooking the city!"

"Understood." DECA chimes back.

She jams through the door, finding herself on said plateau. Before her, the entire expanse of downtown stretches out. All the steel and glass buildings gleam in the sunlight. She sits down on the edge. The warm sunlight beats down on her neck and shoulders, providing a nice relaxing feeling.

What she understood from Sophie's explanation during training, the holodeck was almost a time warp. it allowed a person or persons to visit a moment in the past, stay as long as they wanted, then come back to the present. Meaning that, in theory, she could stay for the hour that they had, and only be gone for 5 minutes.

Her thoughts slowly drifted to home. School. The gym and juice bar. DJ'ing on late friday and saturday nights. Andy. There still was a tinge of regret over how that ended. She missed Andy. Even if they were just...She didn't even know how to classify what they were. Friends? Maybe.

Tommy. Her father. The one that was always there for her. Or at least tried to be. Overall, he was good father. She would always remember how he was there after her mother up and left in the middle of the night to pursue a disaster of a dream.

Her mother. Kimberly. The very name brought tears to her face. She loved her mother dearly. She was shocked to see her mother dive out the window with the evil white ranger in her clutches. Fearing the worst, she ran out in the driving rain to see her neck broken at a disgusting angle. Even though Kim had been absent for the first 15 years, she more than made up for it in the 9 that they had together. Alaine knew how much her mother loved her, yet couldn't let go of the pain of not having her. especially after the disease took her. Then Alaine's feelings only intensified.

She cursed everything under the sun, even God Himself, for the disease that would eventually take her mother's life and make existing a living hell until then. They had just begun to reconnect on a deep level, then this happened. Alaine became angry and bitter. And she let everyone know it. Not wanting to deal with the pain, she turned to crack. Alcohol. Copious amounts of sex.

One day she woke up God only knew where. She was surrounded by pills, various empty bottles, needles, razors, her vomit, and what she sure was blood. Searching for her clothes, she glimpsed herself in the mirror. She looked like hell. Extremely dark circles under her eyes, and a very gaunt appearance. Then she remembered that the last meal she had was about 2 weeks prior.

Settling on taking someone else's clothes, she returned home. Knowing that she looked like a crackhead who just went on a 3 day, non-stop binge, and reeking like an alcoholic, she expected the punishment of a lifetime. Instead when the door opened, her mom took one look at her. Disappointment was there, of course. But also love. As the tears came, Kimberly hugged her tight. The brought her in.

Back in the present, Alaine looked out towards the planned housing developments. She could see her house from there.

"Mom, I'm so sorry I failed you!"

She broke down in force.

"I'm no leader!"

"Yes you are."

Alaine bolted around to see...no one. Then, a speck of light appeared. It got bigger and bigger. Finally, a person emerged from it. Kimberly in flowing white robes.

"You are truly my daughter. You have done well. I am very happy with how you turned out, and how you have handled leading this mission. you bring joy to my heart."

"Is this part of the simulation?"

"No. I am speaking to you from the afterlife. The one we visited. Remember?"

"I remember. You'd still be alive if it wasn't for him."

"I did what I had to. I love you. I did what I did to save you from him."

"Thank you. For everything. You were such an awesome mom. I wish I could've appreciated it more."

"Don't hang on to the past. Focus on what you need to do now. You have a very important decision to make."

"I can't do it. I'm no leader."

"Yes you are. Any leader can make a decision. A good leader can make a decision without knowing the outcome, and accepting the consequences. Either choice presents great risk to you all. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can move on to the next thing."

"Thanks."

"Our time is up. Remember, I am very proud of you. You are everything you and your dad hoped you would be."

"I miss you!"

"I miss you too, sweetie. I love you very much."

"I love you too, mom."

She disappears in a blink. Alaine jumps to see Nick standing behind her.

"Well, well, well, wasn't that just touching?"

"How long have you been there?"

"Too long."

"What is with you today?"

"You have any idea who I am? -I- am a member of the military! Going on 10 years! My parents were the most powerful rangers to ever exist! I have twice the ranger experience than you, and yet YOU are the one Zordon picked? You gotta be fucking kidding me! -I- should be leading this mission. Not you, you fucking rookie bitch!"

"Oh my, such language."

"Shut up. I've been holding it in since we met, I think I'm entitled. You can't even make a simple decision. You are no leader. Despite what your flighty mother says."

"FUCK YOU, MOTHERFUCKER!"

"I brought this up to the ranger team. A couple of them feel that a change in leadership is necessary."

"You were planning this all along."

"Now, you're catching on. according to ranger code section 3, whenever a challenge is made to current leadership, a duel between the two must take place. The winner takes over, the loser must swear their unending loyalty to the winner. Make sense?"

"I will not fight you."

"You don't have a choice. You don't fight, you surrender."

She rises off the ground. She stands a few feet away. A stony gaze meets his angry glare.

"One condition, if I may."

"As the challenged, you are entitled."

"Last person standing wins. No mercy, no surrender."

"Deal."

They pull out their morphers.

"Let's do this. Ancient Mystic Mode!"

Nick transforms in the heavy golden armor of his father. Alaine's eyes go wide.

"Shit. Pink ranger power!"

The rangers charge at each other.


	15. Chapter 15

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Chapter 15

"It's Morphin' Time! Pterodactyl!"

"Magical Source, Mystic Force! Fearsome as Fire, Red Mystic Ranger!"

Alaine jumped at Nick and kicked him the chest, knocking them both to the floor. Nick's hand lit on fire, and he slapped Alaine in the face. They both got to their feet. Alaine chopped Nick in the shoulder. Nick lit on fire and flew at Alaine, knocking her to the side while he landed gracefully on his feet. Nick stalked over to Alaine and aimed a punch at her stomach. She kicked dirt in his face and rolled away, then jumped to her feet. Nick drew his Magi Staff and shot several fireballs at Alaine. She cartwheeled towards Nick to dodge the fireballs, then roundhoused him. Alaine pulled out the Pterodactyl Thunder Whip and snapped it around and around, hitting Nick in the back as he got to his feet. Nick held his Magi Staff in front of him, expecting another hit from the whip, but Alaine shot him with her Blade Blaster instead. Nicks Magi Staff changed into a Sword. He rushed Alaine and sliced her.

Alaine stood up and slapped at nick with the Pterodactyl Thunder Whip. Nick caught the whip with his Magi Sword. Alaine yanked the whip, pulling the sword from Nicks hand. The sword clattered on the ground as Alaine wiggled the whip loose from it. Nick threw a fireball at Alaine, but she casually slapped it away. Nick lit on fire and jumped at Alaine, attempting his flying body press again. Alaine hit Nick in the head with a spin kick, and then began relentlessly slapping him with her whip for good measure.

Nick screamed "Enough!",

lit on fire and smacked the whip away. He pulled his Mystic Morpher out and dialed 120. "Legendary Source, Mystic Force! Element of Fire! Red Legend Warrior! Mystic Lion Staff!"

Nick whirled the Staff at Alaine. She tried to block it with her Blade Blaster, but Nick was stronger and pushed her to the ground. Nick raised the staff up and attempted to impale Alaine on it. She rolled away from the blow, shot at Nick with her blaster, and got to her feet.

"Power Bow! Rolling Arrow!"

Alaine shot several arrows at Nick, but they bounced off his armor. Alaine put the bow away.

"Code 1, Firestorm!"

A huge wave of fire blew at Alaine, knocking her backwards. Alaine struggled to get to her feet. Nick backhanded Alaine, and she hit the floor again. Nick stomped on her head, and Alaine saw stars. Nick grabbed her leg, and began to twist it. Alaine struggled against Nicks strength. Nick was surprised by the resistance he felt from Alaine. She swung her body up and brought her foot crashing down on his head. She spun over on the floor and flipped to her feet. Her leg stung a little, but the pain was already fading. Alaine rushed at Nick, delivering a hard punch to his head. Alaine hit him in the throat, causing Nick to gasp for air. Alaine pummeled him to the ground, then kicked him away. Rolling Arrow! She continuously fired her Power Bow at him several times. The repeated arrows finally cracked his armor, and it fell off. I summon the Power of the Light! Nicks Magi Staff appeared in his hands. Wall of Fire! A column of fire appeared in front of Nick, burning the arrows away. Alaine stopped firing. The wall of fire died down, and Nick demorphed. He was panting. You're good Alaine, but that won't be enough to stop me. Nick pulled a second Morpher out.

"Light Source, Mystic Force!"

A suit of armor appeared on Nicks body. The image of a demon made of fire briefly flashed over top of the armor. Nick held his shield up.

"Mystic Force Fire Knight! I am The Light, Alaine. You cannot defeat me."

"If thats true, why do you keep having to use more powerful forms?"

Nick pointed the shield at Alaine.

"Wolf Attack!"

The shield split open in the middle, and the flaming wolves heads shot out of it. Alaine cartwheeled away. The wolves heads followed her. Alaine turned around and kicked the wolves heads, putting their fire out. Nick drew his sword and rushed at Alaine. Nick's sword and Alaine's Power Bow clashed together. The sword lit on fire. Alaine pushed Nick back. Pterodactyl Thunder Whip! Alaine pulled the shield out of Nicks hands. She cracked the whip, and hit Nick in the right shoulder with it. She whipped again, hitting his wrist and forcing him to drop the sword. She whipped again, knocking Nick to the ground. Alaine whipped furiously at Nick now, hitting him over and over. Nick held his arms up to defend himself. Alaine stomped him in the head. Nick tried to roll away from Alaine. She followed him, kicking and whipping mercilessly. Alaine's body charged with power. Electricity sparking all over her, Alaine hit Nick one last time with the whip, and zapped him with the electrical overload she'd built up. Nick cried in pain as he was shocked. Smoke poured off his armor.

"Do you surrender now?"

Nick got shakily to his feet.

"Never! Ancient Mystic Mode!"

Nicks armor was transformed into the Fire Demon Alaine had seen superimposed over his armor before.

"Another power up? Think it'll do you any better than the last one?"

Nick pulled out a fancier sword.

"Mystic Force Fire Strike!"

Nick Super-Slashed at Alaine. The blow sent her crashing into the wall. Nick picked up the sword and shield he'd dropped earlier. He returned the first sword to the shield, and the shield changed shape to match his new form.

Nick picked Alaine up.

"Its arrogant of you to think you can defeat me. I am The Light, the chosen one."

"I think you're the one whose being arrogant. I'm kicking your ass and I havent needed to power up at all."

Alaine turned the holster of her blade blaster towards Nick and fired at him. Nick dropped Alaine. She pulled the Blade Blaster out and she and Nick clashed their weapons together. Alaine slipped her blade loose and spin-kicked Nick. Nicks shield transformed into his other sword, and he rushed her. Nick sliced at Alaine with both swords. Alaine sidestepped Nicks attack and kicked him in the ass.

"Power Bow! Rolling Thunder Arrow!"

The arrows slammed into Nicks back. Alaine fired again and again. The force of the arrows knocked Nick down. He demorphed, his body bruised and bleeding. he laid on the ground, gasping for air; not even having the energy to beg for mercy.

"Its over. I win."

Alaine half dragged, half carried Nick's almost unconscious, and throughly beaten body out of the holodeck. The other rangers were gathered, eagerly watching the duel on the main screen. They all stared wide eyed at the fierce contest that pushed both combatants to their very limits; forcing them to dig deep into their souls.

"What are you all looking at? Common area. NOW!"

They all take off in one direction. Arriving, Alaine shoves Nick into a chair. He weakly groans.

"Maybe he should head to medbay-"

"He's fine, Qi."

"But-"

"I SAID HE'S FINE. LEAVE IT ALONE."

She studies the map of the planet. With every passing minute, those warships, outlined in blood red, get closer and closer to their objective.

"I am in charge of this mission. If anyone would like to disagree, feel free to take a long walk out the airlock. Are we clear?"

Everyone looks at her, afraid to move a muscle."

"I said, ARE WE CLEAR?"

Variations of "yes" or "yes ma'am" floated from the group.

"Good. Here's how we're going to do this. We're going to split up. Silver team, and gold team Gold team will be Commander Russell, Dominic, Jack, and Kai. The four of you will head to the planet and help out in any possible. Remember, your on their territory. You will be under their command unless they say otherwise."

"Gold team rules!"

Jack and Kai high five each other.

"Right. Silver team will be myself, Drake, Qi, and Sophie. We will head to Vile's fortress and stop him. Any objections?"

None.

"Then good luck. May the power protect us."


	16. Chapter 16

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Chapter 17

"There it is. Haven't seen it in forever."

After a strong dose of a mysterious green liquid found in a stim pack, Commander Nick was back on his feet. He gazed out the front viewscreen as the soon-to-be-seiged planet came into view. It was a massive brown ball, indicative of earth and wheat, with a massive fortress on the very northern end.

"Vile's armada is moving into position. 30 seconds, we'll be in their sensor range."

"Roger that, Sophie. DECA, take us dark."

"Yes, sir, Drake."

All the lights in the ship instantly go out. Most of the consoles blink out, covering the cockpit in an eerie darkness, except for the occasional emergency light. The outside of the ship wavers, then blends into blackness of space, effectively turning invisible. The ship slows to a crawl to avoid a re-entry burn.

"So far so good."

"We are currently inside their sensor range. No response as of yet."

"Let's keep it that way. Kai?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Keep me posted on how far we are from the landing zone."

"Understood. At this pace we are about 2 hours out."

An alarm sounds! On the view screen, a warship warps in right above them, traveling at a tremendous speed! The astro megaship rocks in its wake.

"If that thing bumps us-"

"My maneuvering options are just a little limited at the moment! Maybe if I just-"

Too late! One of the warship's eternal guns smacks right into the megaship!

"SHIT!"

"Get us out of here, Drake!"

"Gimme full power!"

The engines instantly power up, rocketing the ship to the surface at an obscene angle. A hologram pops up showing them being pursued by thousands of enemy fighters.

"Aw hell. Jack! Kai! Get on those guns! Keep them off us!"

"Yes, sir!"

They take off running down the middle of the ship. One heads up a ladder. The other slides down. They both hop in the chairs. Attached, are the controls with a screen showing the fighters fast approaching.

"You in, Jack?"

"I'm in."

"Bet I can kill more than you!"

"Oh, you're on!"

"Let's rock their world!"

Kai hammers on the trigger. Outside, the quad-barrel turret spews laser blasts into the oncoming wave. The first fighters fall from the sky in burned wrecks, with dozens more taking their place. On the console, a ticker blinks out of control, trying to keep track of kills.

"Drake, the fighters will have overtaken up in about 15 seconds."

"How long to our destination?"

"Approximately...5 minutes."

Drake's face gets intense as he stares down at the console. It was quite likely that they would be dead before hitting the ground. All because of a freak accident.

Down on the planet, an underground command center is in the middle of a flurry of activity. People rush every which way carrying orders from this person to that person to try to assess, and even, contain the situation.

"Sir. Those fighters are right on top of them. If they have any chance of making it down, we'll need to mobilize."

"Then do it. Get the AA guns online, and tell the crews to get to their fighters."

"Yes, sir. Anything else?"

"Hope and pray that these reinforcements are worth it."

In the hangar, fighter jets fuel up, and begin take off procedures. They race for the sky in a desperate bid to save the ship, which has now come under heavy fire.

"Drake, our shield generator has been destroyed. We are defenseless."

"Try giving me some good news instead, DECA." Drake fumes as he manipulates the controls. Sweat drips down his face as he sees all hope vanishing before him.

"We do have about 512 friendly forces inbound."

She pings them on the holo-map.

"Oh, yay."

"AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Jack screamed. He waved the turret back and forth, in a vain effort to shoot down the near infinite number of fighters

The fighters were swarming all over the ship, taking what shots they could. Pieces of the hull starting breaking off, tumbling into nothingness. A bolt shatter the turret, rendering it inoperable.

"My turret's gone!"

"Get out of there Jack, you can't do any more good down there!"

"On my way!"

He climbs out. The emergency hatch closes behind him as an explosion takes out what was left of the turret.

"Sir, the ship is taking heavy fire. The shields and radio are gone."  
"Damn it. Where are those fighters?"

"Closing fast."

"The AA guns?"

"Coming online."

On the roof of the compound, sections of it slide apart. Huge, multi-barrelled guns come up, pointed at the sky. The wind up, preparing to unleash their deadly barrage.

The 512 friendly fighters fly in expert formation around the ship. The duck and weave, taking out the enemy fighters. An epic dogfight ensued. Both sides take casualties.

"Drake, request permission to execute an emergency maneuver?"

"Granted!"

The ship flips end over end to the port side. Anything not nailed down, including personnel, get flung around and around. The anti-air fire races past the ship into the ball of enemy fighters. The friendly forces split up, picking off any strays that try to get away.

The astro megaship wobbles it's way to the surface. Having lost an engine, and most of the landing gears, it sat on the ground at an awkward angle. The ramp was blocked, so the crew had to exit through the topside emergency hatch.

"Rangers! Quickly! This way!"

A crewman waves them towards a reinforced door. They run through as sounds of explosions, rounds of gunfire, and constantly raining debris. What's left of the air force heads home, as the evil pilots start round after round of aerial bombardment.

The Rangers are ushered into the command center, and are greeted by a grizzled general. The lines on his face told a story of a long, fabled military career. He even had a faded eye.

"This...this is all there is? Just the 8 of you?"

"We're all that's left."

"Our entire air force...just to save the 8 of you?"

"Do you know who we are?"

"Yes, I know who you are, ranger! Zordon promised reinforcements! And this is all he sends?!"

"Obviously you're expectations were off the charts. We're all you have. Be grateful."

The general silently fumes.

"Fine. I am General Izune. To whom am I speaking?"

"I am Alaine Hart. This is Commander Nick Russell, my brother Drake, Sophie, Jack, Kai, Qi, and Dominic."

"My pleasure. Really. Well, if you're all we have, we'll have to make do. Come with me. We have an invasion to prepare for."


	17. Chapter 17

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Chapter 17

"This fortress was built with an experimental alloy that can withstand prolonged aerial bombardments. With a slight augment that we've developed, we're able to take the energy from the bombs and lasers they fire, and transfer it to the generator. Vile has come to this planet to cut off our supply lines to the other planets and systems; I've seen it before."

The General stands with the rangers on a wall, overlooking the massive bastion. A plain extends out in all directions, as far as the eye can see. Beyond that, farms. Vegetables, fruits, and grains. Drake had stayed behind to supervise repairs on the astro megaship.

"With all due respect general," Alaine begins "Vile hasn't come here to burn crops. He's come to kill every last citizen. Every man, woman, and child,"

"You think I don't know that! Look at me! I've seen more than my fair share wars, young lady! I fought during Zedd's last incursion. The red and black rangers under your father's command nearly turned this planet to ashes!"

"You...you knew my father?"

"Your history and reputation precedes you. Everyone here knows who you are. It's been a real miracle that we've been able to rebuild and replant. And now this...Look at those warships. Hundreds of thousands of troops will finish what he started all those years ago. This is not a battle we can win."

"Maybe you would prefer surrendering then?"

"If it meant keeping what little remains of my army and civilian population alive, yes. But I know Vile. He's too brave to accept surrender."

"We still have to try."

"Try? Yes. Win? Mm...we'll see. But don't bet on it."

"Hey guys."

Everyone turns to see Drake standing behind them. He has splotches of grease all over his overalls and hands. He makes a show of trying to wipe it off with a dirty red rag.

"Bad news. The damage to the astro megaship is extensive. The engines need completely replaced, all but one of the turrets are gone, the last one being removed as we speak, life systems are down for the count, the hyperdrive needs completely overhauled, and most of the cockpit consoles are blown out, as are the systems that they operate. Not too mention that 98% of the hull is gone, with gaps that allow someone to peer right into the ship."

"Meaning?"

"She's totalled. Nothing we can do. But not to worry. Our little...'present' is still intact. It's being offloaded."

The rangers deflate. They all breathe a heavy sigh as they realize their situation just got a little more desperate.

"Great. How we supposed to get off the planet now?"

"Just in case you didn't notice, Pink Ranger, we are surrounded by warships. Maybe you should worry about one thing at a time?"

"Of course, general. Show me your troops. I want to prep them myself."

"Right this way."

He leads through a seemingly winding path through the fortress. It was built like an old 14th century castle that's been updated, rather than renovated. What amazed her the most was how functional it was after all the time it stood.

Soldiers, techies, and other staff rush this way and that carrying out orders, passing messages, getting everything ready for the coming hammer blow from the gods. General throws open a metal door, revealing a large cavernous room. Lining the walls are various weapons. What appeared to be rifles of all kinds, rocket launchers, pistols, shotguns, and machine guns.

But it all meant nothing compared to what was truly housed here. In 10 rows, front to back, mechs. Armored mechs about 20 feet tall. Instead of hands, their arms ended in huge 5 inch guns.

"Impressive aren't they? They were originally used as construction vehicles, heavy lifting, that sort of thing. When Zedd's forces invaded, we retrofitted them with these guns. They worked so well that we decided to make more and keep them the way they are. I never thought we would have to use them again."

"How many we talking about?"

"60. Enough to cover all the critical points in the fortress' defenses. They're only tools though; our soldiers will have to do all the work. Which I am putting you in charge of."

"What?"

"You and your rangers will be handling the defense, and in personal command of the army."

"What will you be doing?"

"I will be on the walls with our mech division."

"No!"

"Too late. Preparations have already been made. Now get started. We don't have a lot of time."

By nightfall storm clouds had gathered. The darkest black, they hung over the sky like they were going to unleash a torrent at any moment. Their density fed by the fires and smoke on the ground. In the intervening hours, the fleet totally and completely devastated the planet. Nothing was left.

During the frenzied evacuation to the underground strata, many, many civilians lost their lives. Me, women, and even the children were cut mercilessly cut down. Their charred bodies littering the surface, like a macabre chessboard. No vestiges of their farms and homes remained.

The soldiers stood on the walls, looking up defiantly at the looming warships. Armed with the best blaster rifles, and swords, they stood ready to do battle with the enemy. The rangers are spread out, each commanding a company of troops. The general and his mechs stand ready on the main hub of the command center. He looks over everything, and grimly nods.

"Alright, listen up! If it's your time to die, it's your time! If we have to give Vile our lives...all I ask is that you give him hell before you do!"

A cheer goes up among the army. By now the rain falls hard, instantly drenching everything.

"Load up!"

The mechs' heavy arms swing up, long belt of ammo extending from what would be the wrists to the sides. Each bullet about a foot long. Each chain several thousand feet long.

The underside docking bay of the orbiting warships' slide open. A near infinite number of fighter scream towards the surface.

"Light 'em up!"

The AA towers, along with the mechs, fill the air with hot lead sending fighter's broken, flaming hulls crashing to the ground. Yet, for every one shot down, dozens more take its place.

The fighters swoop back and forth, taking shots when possible. After when seemed an eternity, which was more like 10 minutes, almost a ⅓ of the soldiers have gone down, and even a few mechs.

A trio of fighters dives right at the general, raining down laser fire all around.

"Circle up!"

The 2 mechs closest to him turn their backs to him, forming a near impenetrable wall of fire. They shoot at the incoming fighters, but to no avail. One of the mechs catches one in the engines, and it bursts into flames.

"Watch out!"

Too late. The flaming chassis slams into the mech, knocking it off the wall.

"Krauser!"

The mech, firing wildly into the air, and the fighter slam into the ground, sending up a massive fireball.

"Aargh! Back to back!"

The final mech of the trio stands back to back with the general. They both score several kills. In the confusion, hardly anyone noticed the dropships landing troops by the thousands just outside the castle walls. They began pouring over the battlefield, setting up siege cannons, and ladders to scale the walls.

The rangers managed to rally the troops for oncoming wave of darkness and death.

Thus begins the last stand of the Power Rangers.


	18. Chapter 18

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Chapter 18

When it came time for the ground assault, the enemies fighters pulled back to the sky, circling above like so many vultures. By now it didn't really help much. Most of the mechs had already been picked off, and were now burning metallic hulks all over the walls and battlefield. Whatever ammo remained in them randomly cooked off because of the flames creating fireballs, and confusion, all over the place.

The infantry started scaling the walls en masse. Using ladders, grappling hooks, and jetpacks, they began to swarm all over everything. Alaine grappled with one. Her stomach turned. A cyborg.

Part human.

Part robot.

The intelligence and reasoning of one.

The cold heart and strength of the other.

A human with robotic arms, and armor.

Entirely grotesque.

One thing they didn't have going for them though was they weren't all that quick or agile. She was able to get off a few good punches and kicks. But that was all. With one good swing, it knocked her on her back. It screeched at her.

It's retracted up into it's forearm. Then, a small drill slid out. It whined loudly. It closed on her, intent on giving her a brain slushie. With a loud grunt, she grabbed the creature, and monkey flipped it over the wall! She watched it tumble away into the darkness, waving its arms and legs, trying to grab a hold of something. No avail.

She got back, just in time to witness the carnage. All over the soldiers were being cut down. Blaster shots ricochet off armor. Swords not even making the slightest dent. Blood streamed freely, mixing with the rain. It pooled up in various spots, even becoming ankle deep.

Alaine scooped up a pair of swords just as she found herself surrounded. She stood ready for the onslaught that was sure to end her life quickly. And painfully.

Suddenly, her radio chirped.

"Get down!"

She barely had time to register the command before a hail of bullets took out all the cyborgs around her. Second later, she peeked up at the general's mech looking back at her.

"The walls are lost, girl! Fall back inside!"

"What about you?"

"I'll be right behind you! Go! I'll cover you!"

"Rangers! Fall back to the central command!"

She took off sprinting along the wall. With the rain falling even harder, it was almost impossible to see where she was going. Every once in a while, a short flurry of bullets would take out the 'borgs trying to surround her. It didn't help that they were still scaling the walls dozens at a time.

She stumbled over a dead body, falling flat on her face. She floundered in the water, struggling to catch her breath, when one of those things grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her backwards. She tried getting away, but couldn't find purchase on the slippery stone wall.

"No! NO!"

She turned over, violently kicking it in the face. The move stunned the creature long enough for her to wiggle free. She scrambled to her feet. She found herself surrounded with nowhere to go. The 'borgs grabbed a hold of her.

"No! Let go!"

She struggled in their cold, hard grasp. They pushed her to the edge of the wall. A fall meant splattering all over the inner stone courtyard. It was already littered with the bodies of soldiers, 'borgs, fighters, and mechs.

"No! Don't!"

They shove her over the edge! She screams bloody murder, tumbling into the everlasting darkness; being lashed with freezing rain, and sharp gusts of wind whipping around her body. She closed her eyes tight anticipating the final smack into the ground. The best she hoped for was something quick and painless. Yet with all the twisted metal, an impalement seemed a nice alternative.

She landed with a soft thud. Very gingerly, she opened her eyes and found herself in someone's arms. This thing glowed like an angel. She looked up from the white spandex arms to the face...and was absolutely horrified.

White Ranger.

"Put me down!"

"Yes, ma'am."

He stood her up on the sopping wet ground.

"What are you doing here?! You're dead!"

"Yes I am. Thanks to you, I am finally free. Free to wander back and forth across that great divide however I please. Since I apparently caused you so much grief and pain, I thought it would be a good idea to, oh, I don't know, pay you back. Ergo, me saving your life."

"If you think this makes us even, you are sorely mistaken."

"I knew you would say that. No matter. You are still welcome."

"Well, thanks."

"I see things have gone south. I hope you know what you're doing."

"Yeah. Me too."

But he was already gone.

She trudged into the command post, absolutely soaking wet. Not just from the rain, but also from the blood, which was already drying; leaving dark red splotches all over her jumpsuit. She found the other rangers sitting around looking glum. What was left of the command staff looked at her nervously.

Up above, the last of the mechs were still fighting. One by one, their guns were silenced. On a screen, Alaine watched with tears in her eyes as the general's mech was swallowed in a wave of aerial laser fire. Alaine knew he wouldn't be right behind her in the retreat. Her gut instinct screamed that he would go down fighting. A warrior trying to relive his glory days and do them justice.

She switched off the screen. She marched over the main holo-table and switched it on. A 3-D of the fortress grew up from the round display. It was mostly black, showing enemy forces completely occupying the exterior.

"That's it. It's over. We lost."

"Just like that? You're giving up?"

"Come on, Drake! We got our asses kicked! When they break in, and they will..."

She didn't have to finish the sentence. Everyone knew what would happen. They didn't stand a chance. She looked up a techie staring intently at a screen. Streams of data raced across it, delivingering vital information.

"Hey, tech!"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Is there any way off the planet?"

"We do have 5 transport you could pick from."

The Rangers' faces slightly brightened at this piece of good news.

"But one got shot down, needs extensive repairs, one needs a few critical systems overhauled, one is an absolute pile of scrap. There's 2 left: one needs ammo, the other needs fuel."

They all slump back in their chairs. Sophie mindlessly taps at her console, switching between what remained of the exterior cameras. All over, the 'borgs stood as still as stone statues, as if waiting for orders.

"It doesn't matter anyway. There would be no way through the blockade. You would be killed before you even got off the ground."

"Thank you, tech, you are just a force for positive reinforcement."

"Anytime, ma'am."

The techie went back to his business, and began scribbling furiously on a clipboard.

"What now, fearless leader?" Commander Russell asked, with a touch of sarcasm. Alaine could tell he was still sore over losing the duel, and, ultimately, control of the situation.

"I need time to think."

"Time we don't have."

She marched away, ignoring him. She found a secluded spot behind a bulkhead, and slumped down. She instantly fell into a meditative trance. A flash of light. However, instead of the usual meadow, she found herself in a burned out forest.

Smoke rose from the surface into the sky, turning it an ugly black. Burned out trees. Worst of all: bodies. Charred black.

"What is this?"

"HAHAHA! Welcome!"

Behind her, Vile. Decked out in extensively ornate armor. He stood almost a full head taller than her.

"This is the best Zordon and your parents could do? Please. Try harder next time."

"What are you doing here? What do you want?"

"To finish what your parents and I started. Rita Repulsa, Lord Zedd, Lokar, Dark Spectre, oh the list goes on...my lieutenants all of them. All have tried! All have failed! And now...I can finally finish off the Power Rangers once and for all!"

"You will not succeed!"

"Says YOU, ranger. You can't even make the difficult decisions! A good leader knows when to order people to their deaths! An entire army fell at my hands! I didn't even lose 10% of my forces! But YOU?! You lost everything! And for what?! A bunch of rebel peasants?!"

"Lives worth fighting for!"

"Heh. How droll. I grow tired of this. You want me? Meet me on the northern battlefield! Bring your team. I have a feeling you'll need them. Not that it matters. I'm too powerful for you."

"We shall see."


	19. Chapter 19

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Chapter 19

Alaine walked back to the group with a serious, determined look on her face. For the past couple of weeks, she had wrestled with her destiny. Hoping and praying against all odds that life or death scenario wouldn't present itself.

But it did.

Nothing to do about that.

She knew what she had to do.

"The planet is lost. Vile is meeting us on the northern battlefield for a final showdown. We're going to meet him. We are going to win. Losing is not an option."

"Ma'am!"

"What?"

"Look!"

Alaine looked over at the screen.

"Put it on holo."

The holographic table lit up. It showed Vile's fleet moving away from the surface, settling into a geosynchronous orbit outside the atmosphere. It showed a lone figure standing by himself in the scorched plains.

Vile.

"That one transport ship, the one without ammo?"

"Yes?"

"How fast can it be prepped for launch?"

"Within the hour."

"Get it done. We may need it."

"Yes, ma'am."

The techie peeled off, rushing for the hangar.

"Dominic."

"Hmm?"

"Is that bomb ready to go?"

"Yes. All it needs is a signal from you."

"Great."

She pulled out a drawer from the holotable, and pulled out the detonator she stashed there before the siege.

"We got a job to do."

The Rangers confidently strode across the battlefield, where Vile was waiting for them.

"Well, well, well, isn't this one big, happy, family reunion. How I have longed for this day; when I finally settle my rivalry with Zordon. My revenge will be complete when I ship your lifeless corpses back to him."

By now the rain had stopped, yet the sky was still black with clouds. Out the corner of her eye, Alaine could see the sun trying to peek through the clouds.

"Let's do it!"

"Let's be careful...but let's get it done."

"Well...everyone ready for one last battle?"

Alaine felt pride for her rangers.

"The last battle of the Power Rangers...let's make our parents proud."

"Aw, how touching!" Vile sneered at them.

"Everyone ready!"

"Ready!"

"It's morphin' time! Pink Pterodactyl Ranger Power! Mighty Morphin' Power Ranger!"

"It's morphin' time! Dragonzord! Power of the dragon! Green Dragon Ranger!"

"It's morphin' time! Yellow Sabertooth Ranger Power!"

"Go! Galactic! Blue Lost Galaxy Ranger!"

"Rhino morpher, initiate! Wild Force! Wild access! White Rhino Ranger!"

"Magical source! Mystic force! Red Mystic Ranger!"

"SPD emergency! Force from the future! Silver SPD ranger!"

"Overdrive! Accelerate! Black Overdrive Ranger!"

"**POWER RANGERS!"**

Kai and Sophie both jumped at Master Vile.

"Double corkscrew kick!"

Kai slashed at him with his Cosmic Claw while Sophie used a Super Punch.

"Diamond dagger!"

Qi threw one of her Power Daggers at him.

"Power bow!"

Alaine fired with her Power Bow, while Drake and Nick both slashed using their weapons. Vile spun his staff around and around in quick whirling arcs to deflect all the attacks. Not a one hit. He even managed to sneak in a few cheap shots to knock the rangers away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dominic charging in with the blind fury of a wild animal. Using his sheer size and brute strength, Dom proved to be an even match for the evil wizard. Slicing away with his massive Rhino Knife, he managed to get Vile rocking and reeling. Until Vile scored a lucky strike with that deadly staff of his, sending Dom back. Both fighters spun away from each other.

Looking down, Vile saw black, thick-as-tar blood dripping from a gash in his side.

"A lucky strike, my friend. Too bad it shall be your last."

"We shall see."

No time to contemplate the wound, Qi jumped over Dom's head, rolled up scooping her dagger off the ground, and ran up to Vile with her daggers. The daggers, the blade less than a molecule thick, slice the very air itself. Leaving jet trails behind, it was all Vile could do to keep up. He randomly kicked her in the gut, dropping her to her knees for a second. It was he needed. With a twist, he split his staff into 2 quarter staffs. He twirled them around, making a shrill whistling sound.

"Come, yellow ranger! Let us make it a fair fight!"

"Neramax Tryn Unios! Mystic Force Fighters!"

A pair of boxing gloves flashed onto Nick's hands. His cape flapped in the wind as he whipped around and hit Vile in the back of the head with a flaming punch. Reeling, Vile began gathering energy!

"FUS DO RAH!"

Vile smashed all the rangers away with an energy blast. Dominic, with a skill and deftness that defied his size, leapt out of the way of the wave, somersaulted forward, and stabbed Vile with his Rhino knife. Blood gushed from the new wound. Vile continued to disregard it. Nick unleashed a flurry of punches into Vile's head and torso. Alaine fired a volley of arrows. Staggering, Vile dropped to one knee. His wounds finally taking their toll on him. Blood pooled on the ground around his feet. The rangers surrounded him, expecting a surrender.

"You...You may want peace, but this war has truly just begun!"

Vile became still. His eyes glowed yellow.

"I will not rest until I have had my revenge!"

Vile grew to giant size.

"Rhino Spirit, Transform! Rhino Steel Zord, Charge!"

Drake played a familiar tune on his Dragon Dagger. The mighty Dragonzord appeared in a bolt of lightning.

Nick dialed 1-2-5 on his Morpher. "Galwit Mysto Prifior! Mystic Phoenix!"

Dominc and Drake jumped into their zords.

"Uthre Mejor Catastros!"

A Good Magic Spell Seal appeared, and Catastros came galloping out of it.

"Galwit Mysto Equestras!"

Nick and Catastros combined.

"Phoenix Wolf Megazord, power up!"

The Rhino Steel Zord transformed.

"Rhino Pride Megazord!"

Drake activated his control panel.

The Rhino Pride Megazord brandished an enormous serrated sword and a thick shield. The Dragonzords chest lit up, each super-sized LED blinking in sequence.

"Alright dad...let's hope your piloting skills are genetic..."

"Oh good, the zords are here! Let this be our final battle, rangers!"

Vile unsheathed his staff. He twirled it around in his hands, dropping into a ready stance. The Rhino Pride Megazord swiped at Vile with its sword. Being quicker and more agile, Vile easily redirected the clumsy strike. He grabbed the megazord's head, throwing it to the ground. Dragonzord fired a stream of missiles at him. Vile spun his staff so fast, it created a whirlwind, deflecting the missiles, sending them on erratic paths. A few were sent back, striking the dragonzord. The Centaurus Phoenix Megazord began whipping its mane around.

"Fire Spin!"

Master Vile was immolated with a huge tornado of fire. Unable to defend himself, an opening was created for the Rhino Pride Megazord to impale him with its sword. The tip of Dragonzords tail began spinning. A shower of sparks erupted, creating an impressive, and deadly, display. Dragonzord smacked Master Vile with its Tail Drill. Pivoting at the right moment, Dragonzord brought more missiles to bear, unleashing another barrage. The Rhino Pride Megazord rushed in, headbutting the wizard, while the Centaurus Phoenix Megazord impaled him again with its sword. Vile was stoic in the face of this punishment. If he was in any sort of pain, he didn't let on. The Rangers got confused. The Dragonzord tried grappling with Vile, but only got battered by the staff for all it's efforts! Finally having a moment to breathe, Vile raised his hands up. The Zords were all pushed back from him. The holes in his body closed. The Rhino Pride Megazord thrashed in the air, trying to find purchase on solid ground, before crashing into the surface. With his free hand, Vile blasted the Dragonzord and Centaurus Wolf Megazord. Viles wand blasted the Rhino Pride Megazord, knocking it to the ground.

"Can you feel it, Red Ranger? The fear closing in around you? You're worried you won't be able to live up to your father, aren't you?"

"Shut up Vile! You're through! Mystic Force Fire Seal!"

The Centaurus Phoenix Megazord drew the seal with its staff, then fired it at Vile. The Fire Seal struck Vile, then fizzled out of existence. Vile laughed off the pathetic attempt

"Mystic Force Fire Strike!"

The sword lit on fire. The Megazord held it out like a lance. Nick charged at Vile. Vile stood impassively and let Nick strike him. The blade got stuck in VIle's body! Nick tried to withdraw his weapon, but failed. Vile laughed at Nicks predicament, then used the opportunity to blast the Rhino Pride Megazord and Dragonzord. Vile kept his assault up, and defeated the Zords. Drake and Dominic fell out while the Rhino Pride Megazord returned to its original form. Vile backhanded the Centaurus Wolf Megazord, then grabbed its weapon and lifted the Megazord up with it. Vile began electrocuting the Centaurus Wolf Megazord.

The other Rangers ran over to Drake and Dominic.

"Nothings working on Vile! We need to try something else!" Alaine cried in desperation.

"Try all you want, rangers! I am the very embodiment of all things evil! You should know by now that you cannot catch the wind!" Vile cackled maniacally.

Sophie scanned the downed Zords.

"I wonder..."

In desperation, Nick let go of his sword and kicked Vile in the chest. Nick fell on his back as he was released from the shocking. Vile pulled the sword out of himself and threw it back to Nick. The Centaurus Wolf Megazord struggled to its knees. Vile blasted it with his staff, and it fell over again. Nick struggled to retain his Titan form.

"I think the Dragonzord and the Rhino Steel Zord can be combined."

"Come again?"

"The Rhino Steel Zord can separate into sections. The Dragonzord had the capability of combining with the other Dinozords. You should be able to combine them."

"Would that work?"

"It would be worth a try."

Drake and Dom looked at each other and shrugged.

"It can't do worse than what we have so far." Drake muttered.

They jumped back into their Zords. Drake pulled his Power Coin from his Morpher, held his hand up to it, and drew a Power Crystal out of it. Drake stabbed the Crystal into the transformation drive.

"Rhino Spirit, transform!"

"Dragonzord! Combine!"

The Rhino Steel Zord broke into pieces. The Dragonzords chest slid out of its torso, and the tail detached from its back. Dragonzord pulled its arms into its shoulders. The shoulder pads clanged together in front of the zord, forming a massive armored plate. A new face piece rotated down from Dragonzords mouth, while its feet rotated up, revealing connection points. The headcrest from the Rhino Pride Megazord appeared on the Dragonzords head. The Rhinos arms attached to the Dragonzords sides, and its legs attached under Dragonzords knees. The Rhinos head attached to the chest. The Dragonzords chest and tail connected together and attached to a camera stand, which floated down next to the new Zord. The Rhinos shield was in its left hand. Drakes chair and some of his control apparatus appeared in the Rhinos cockpit.

"Rhino Fury Dragonzord!"

Master Vile raised his wand, and blasted at the new Megazord. The Rhino Fury Dragonzord held its shield up and blocked the blow. Picking up its spear, the Rhino snorted and charged at Vile. The Rhinos horn hit his staff, knocking it out of his hand. It then smacked Vile in the head with the base of the spear. The Rhino Fury Dragonzord bashed Vile in the face with its shield, then clubbed him in the head with the spear. Vile pushed the Zord away. He summoned his wand. The Rhino Fury Dragonzord continued to bash him with its spear and shield. The drill tip on the spear began spinning. The Rhino Fury Dragonzord raised the Power Spear above its head. The lights on the body of the spear flashed and it began crackling with green and white lightning. The Zord slammed the Drill into Vile's head. Vile exploded from the hit, sending the Rhino Fury Dragonzord flying away. It separated into the Rhino and Dragonzord as Drake and Dominic fell out again.

The other Rangers rushed over to Drake and Dominic.

"You did it, guys! We won!"

Vile laughed at the Rangers.

"I would not celebrate just yet!"

He had shrunk. Vile raised his fist up. The Rangers lifted into the air. The rangers were all blasted with electricity. They fell to the ground and demorphed. Nick got the Centaurus Phoenix Megazord to its feet. Vile raised his fist again. The megazord was zapped. It separated, and Catastros disappeared into a Mystic Spell Seal while Nick demorphed and fell to the ground. Nick glared at Vile.

"Still have some fight in you, Red Ranger? I expected better from you after all these years."

Nick pulled his second morpher out.

"Light Source, Mystic Force!"

Nick transformed into the Red Knight. Vile was surprised. He let Nick advance on him. Nick raised his shield.

"Wolf Attack!"

Flaming Wolf Heads crashed harmlessly into Vile, then evaporated.

"That power isn't really yours. And its not really Good Magic either. Its Dark Magic Knight Power."

"What?"

Vile slapped at Nick, and Nick instantly demorphed.

"Show me what that power really looks like Mystic Ranger."

Nick growled, and his eyes turned purple. Roaring at the sky, Nick transformed into Koragg.

"Thats better. You have a tremendous evil magic in you. Give it to me!"  
Vile and Koragg began fighting viciously. Koragg raised his shield again.

"Wolf Attack!"

Purple Wolf Heads shot out of it. Vile screamed in surprise as this time the attack worked. Koragg sliced at Vile with his sword. Vile blocked the hit with his wand. The wand crackled with black energy. Koragg struggled against Vile. His armor crackled, then disappeared in a flash. Nick was released from the Dark Magic, and crumpled to the ground.

And with that, the Rangers last hope for victory vanished.

In their final hour, winning was no longer an option.


	20. Chapter 20

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Chapter 20

With the destruction of the megazords, so were their powers. Their only link to the morphing grid, the zords, was lost. Scattered in flaming pieces across the battlefield, it looks like a machine graveyard. And now, the ultimate foe, that had made short work of the best they could come up with, was bearing down on them. His gaze piercing their souls.

"You have fought bravely here today. Worthy of recognition is the annals of history. Surrender, and your lives will be spared."

"No deal, you fraud!" Alaine screamed at him.

"Your choice. I will not be responsible for what happens to you."

He fired a bolt of raw energy at them. It exploded on contact with the ground, creating an explosion, scattering them across the battlefield. Sophie landed right at his feet.

"And you, my little Judas, have served me well. Your appointed task, bringing me the last of the power rangers, has been accomplished. I release you from my service."

"Thank you, my master."

Her eyes turned from blue to red, back to blue.

"Now you will die."

"NO!" Drake cried.

Too late. Vile stabbed her through the heart, pinning her to the ground. She gasped violently, blood dripping from her mouth. He withdrew the staff, blood now gushing from the gaping wound. He stabbed her twice more, once in each lung. A sadistic smile crossed his lips, as he felt her life draining from her.

"You could have had your cure, red ranger. Now you have nothing."

He punted Sophie's lifeless body into a piece of the dragonzord 30 yards away. A trail of blood left behind. Red hot tears streaked down Drake's face. He tried to get up, but couldn't, his body wracked with much physical pain.

"You should have taken better care of her, Green ranger. After all, she was your precious, wasn't she?"

"FUCK YOU!"

"Aww...pity." Vile laughed.

Desperate for a solution, Alaine remembered something her parents had said in a vision.

"Drake!"

"What?"

"Your morpher! Gimme!"

"What? why?"

"Trust me!"

He flipped her his morpher. It had been slightly charred in the explosion.

She picked herself up, unclipped the morpher from her belt, palming both of them.

"What are you doing girl? No one has ever survived a dual morph! It's suicide!"

"If that's true, you have nothing to worry about."

"Forget it! If you do survive, what can you do alone?!"

"Not alone."

In her vision, all the rangers that had ever been encircled the battlefield. Standing stoically; in solidarity; a final stand.

"My parents trusted me with this power. As long I breathe-"

"Which won't be much longer!"

"I will never give up! I will not let them down again!"

"It's morphin' time!"

Pink and green energy flowed up her arms, bathing her in electricity. She shrieked in pain as the 2 powers waged war over her body. A beam of light shot up from the ground, blinding everyone, obscuring her form. Fire washed over her, evaporating her hair, charring her skin. Reaching critical mass, the beam expanded, exploding into a mushroom cloud!

"ALAINE!" Drake shouted.

Adrenaline pumping like mad, he charged into the smoke, coughing hard, struggling to breathe.

"Alaine!"

He tripped, and rolled down a small crater. He landed face down, cutting up his hands on pieces of glass that had formed from the superheated dust and rocks. The ground glowed a hellish red, like being trapped in a burning ember. Ahead, he saw a form crouched on one knee. Slowly, it got up, walking towards him.

Alaine.

Wearing the heavy armor of a dual power ranger, consisting of elements from both costumes. She strode past him, with a laser-like focus. She walked out of the crater, out of the smoke, towards Vile. Realizing his hands were burning, Drake scrambled after her.

For once in his millenia long life, VIle knew fear. For once he was truly afraid for his life. This abomination striding towards him cause his heart to race. This being of immense power, leaving charred footsteps in her wake, should not even exist!

"No...NO! That's impossible!"

She said nothing. Only getting closer and closer.

Vile fired a ball of lightning at her. to his horror, not only did she effortlessly catch it in her hand, she absorbed it!

Stopping, she gathered a green energy into her right hand, pink in her left. She brought them together forming a deadly orb marked with a "Z". Vile tried to shield himself from the impact, to no avail. The orb blasted through, like the shield wasn't even there, impacting Vile right on his chest. He was sent flying, only stopping when colliding with a piece of the Centarus megazord.

He tried scrambling away, freezing when the shadow of the ranger fell upon him. He slowly turned his head to look, horrified at how she towered over him.

"No! No! Please! I beg you!"

"I...should make you pay for what you've done!"

"Please don't! I'm just an old man!"

The ranger crouched, pulling the dragon dagger out of it's holster, holding it menacingly.

"All the rangers you killed...the billions of innocents you killed...justice howls for your blood!"

Vile began hyperventilating. After all he's done to cheat death, and rule an intergalactic empire...little did he know it would all come crashing down in a moment of arrogance. He felt everything he worked so hard to achieve, everything he gained, slip through his fingers like so many grains of sand. Now, he felt truly powerless to stop it.

"You kill me girl, my army will rampage across this galaxy unchecked. The destruction-! You wouldn't risk it, would you? No, no, no, I-I-I don't think you would!"

"YOU LIE!"

"It's the truth! Let me live! I'll stay here! You'll never hear from me again!"

She paused, considering this. In a moment, she weighed the pros and cons.

"Promise me."

"Yes, yes I promise!"

She holstered the dagger. Taking a hold of him, she brought his face inches from her helmet.

"_**SWEAR TO ME!**_"

"I swear!"

Surprisingly, he began to sob a little.

She demorphed so she could look directly into his eyes.

"You break your oath, I will find you. I will kill you. Consequences be damned. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal." He nodded vigorously.

She threw him back on the ground. She walked back to the group. Her skin had healed, as if it never burned in the first place, but her hair would never grow again, leaving her bald. The others stood by, afraid to say anything.

"Come on rangers. We're going home."

They walked back to the castle fortress. In preparation for battle, Alaine found an entrance near the northwestern corner that had direct access to the starport, and the Megaship prototype. About ¾ of the way there, the rangers turn, hearing a rumbling noise.

An army of borgs, led by Vile, came charging after them.

"That son of a bitch!" Alaine cursed, her blood boiling.

"What do we do?!"

"Run! Get back to the ship!"

The rangers took off running for the door. The stack up against it, finding it locked with a numerical keypad.

"Blasters everyone!" Drake calls.

Everyone pulls out their pistols, ready to snipe whatever gets too close.

Drake gets to work on the keypad, trying out various combinations of numbers.

Behind him, the rangers begin striking down the borg army, with Vile nowhere to be seen yet.

"They're getting closer!"

"I can't figure it out!"

"Goddamit Drake!"

Alaine shoves him out of the way.

"Cover me!"

She turns the blade blaster on full power. Firing a steady laser into the wall, she carves out the door. It falls inwards with a heavy metallic thud.

"Move your asses! Now!"

The run inside, sprinting full force down the long, sloping hallway. They occasionally turn to fire at their pursuers. With Alaine in the back of the pack, they reach the last door. She screams in pain, and collapses to her knees. She looks down to see a staff sticking through her chest, somehow missing her heart, but piercing her left lung. Her breathing becomes unsteady.

The other rangers stop. Qi and Jack try to help her up, but find her to be dead weight.

"Leave me.."

"We're not leaving you behind!"

"Get to the ship..."

"Not without you!"

The drag her to the door.

With a burst of energy, she shoves them through the open door. On the other side is the awaiting Megaship.

"Alaine! No!"

"Go...may the power protect you...like I never could..."

She blasts the door's controls, and it slams shut, permanently seperating her from the team. Qi, sobbing, furiously beats on the door.

"Alaine! ALAINE! Goddamit open the door! Open this door right now! Alaine!"

Jack rips her away, pulling her towards the ship.

"Come on we gotta go!"

Too emotionally wrecked to protest, she allows him to carry her away. They make to the cockpit just as the engines fire up. Drake lifts the ship off, and makes for the atmosphere.

Kneeling on the ground, too weak to get up, and with the staff still hanging awkwardly out of her body, Alaine fights to hang on. With a twice punctured lung, her body fights for every ounce of oxygen it can get. Her eyes lawl upwards to see Vile standing over her.

"Never...never shoulda trusted you..."

"You are just now figuring this out?"

Alaine hears the roar of the ship's engines fade away as, in her mind's eye, the ship races for the atmosphere.

"Here at the end of all things, your sacrifice will mean nothing. We will track the ship, We will find it. You can figure out what happens next, you're a smart girl. As for you...you will die much sooner than you're friends, I'm afraid."

"You stupid...son of a bitch...-" She reaches into her secure pocket, and pulls out the detonator. A small red LED glows, indicating the bomb made it to the core, and was ready to be blown. Vile's mouth drops open. "-rangers...never...die..."

She smiles a wicked smile, and pulls the trigger. Her vision goes white. She didn't feel the blast.

As this ship breaks away from the planet's orbit, the planet is enveloped in a white energy, shrinks down to the size of a golf ball, then explodes, sending chunks of the planet scattering in all directions. An electrical energy wave emanates from the blast. it washes over the ship, shutting it down.

"What happened?! Dom?"

"An EMP!"

"For what?!"

"To make sure any enemy ships in the blast radius would be permanently disabled!"

"Why would you- Wait, did you say 'permanently'?"

"Yes."

"You mean-"

"Yes, captain. We're stuck here."

Drake grapples with Dom, violently shaking him.

"You bastard! You got us into this mess-!"

"Guys, stop!"

"What, Kai!"

"We're moving!"

They all stop what they're doing.

"Yeah we are."

"We're going backwards."

The ship is violently jolted, and spins around!

"We're under attack!"

Everyone scrambles to their battle stations.

"That wasn't a laser blast, something hit us!"

"Like a piece of the planet!"

"Exactly."

"Well, I gotta figure out how to-" Drake stops mid sentence as he sees everyone gaping out the main viewscreen.

Up ahead, pulling them backwards, a black hole. Where the crystalline planet used to be.

"Oh...shit. Dom?"

"There was a small chance the explosion would create a tear in space."

"Get those engines online! Try the manual override!"

Drake rips open the panel on the floor, finding a red lever. He pumps it furiously. The panel barely flickers.

"Drake!" Kai calls. "Slowly!"

Drake pumps the handle more slowly. Sure enough, the entire cockpit lights up, and the engines fire. Warning sirens begin going off. A panel turns bright red, displaying an extreme gravitational field warning.

The black hole was sucking them closer.

"I need more power!"

"Try the hyperdrive!"

"It would tear the ship apart!"  
"Shunting power from reserve!"

"Turn this thing around!"

"We don't have enough momentum!"

The ship lurches backwards, away from the hole. Unfortunately, too little too late.

"Why are we still moving towards it?!"

"Obviously, we're caught in it's extremely high gravitational field! It's pulling us in!"

Drake's hand flew over the control panel, mashing combinations of buttons.

"Come on, baby, get us out of this!"

He started to sweat. He tried all the tricks in the book, until he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He looks up, seeing Qi standing there. All the rangers had gathered in front of the windscreen, watching the black hole fill their vision. Drake flips on the autopilot, and stand with them.

Arcs of lightning streak over the ship. The hull begins to groan, and twist, threatening to tear itself apart. The rangers hold hands, trying to be brave for each other.

A loud crack interrupts their reverie as the back half of the ship floats over them, into the welcoming void. The engines were still firing.

The ship stretches into the hellish emptiness of the gaping maw. With a booming whoosh, it disappears into the center, winking out of existence. The hole then collapses swallowing whole chunks of planet, and the remnants of the ship, along with the power rangers.


	21. Epilogue

Power Rangers:

All grown up

Epilogue

"Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi! Zordon! The ship disappeared from our sensors! I can't find it!"

"Keep looking Alpha. As much as I would like to believe otherwise, I feel the ship has been destroyed."

Alpha resumed punching away at the control panels in a vain effort to find the Megaship.

"Contact Tommy and Katherine. I have to tell them what happened."

Minutes later, the last surviving pink and green rangers teleport into the command center's main area.

"What's up Zordon? You said it was urgent?"

"Yes rangers, I have an important piece of news for you."

"Are the kids back yet?"

"No. Nor will they be."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"A few minutes ago, a disturbance was detected 4,000 light years from here. As you know the rangers had to destroy Vile's fortress using extreme measures. However, an unforseen consequnce arose: the destruction of Vile's planet opened up a black hole, and the Megaship was sucked into it."

"Wait...are you saying-"

"Yes, Katherine. They were on the ship when it was pulled in. You have my deepest sympathies and condolences."

Katherine folded into Tommy's arms and wept openly. Alpha stopped working, and silently retreated to his charging station. Zordon merely stared in somber silence.

Deep in space, a huge chunk of the diamond planet races towards a huge, round, sparkling blue water planet. On it, unconscious, a woman. A girl.

The last surviving power ranger.


End file.
